Assimilation, part 2

I'm trying to space out our stories, but this one kind of just goes with the last. Sorry! There's only three more main stories, before we're done!

CT, Musashi and the bunch are stuck in another tournament, this time in groups of three. The kids decided to sneak past their parents, and sign themselves up, as well. This story also brings to light new villains, and Naga secures his role as a main character/anti-hero. I would like to make a note that there was a fourth person on board, and had planned something more with Sebastian. However, he dropped out in the middle of the next story, so I had a friend help me re-write the ending. Hopefully it's readable enough, and the ending is sufficient.




It was the day of the wedding between CT Blackstone and Lasciel Carpenter. The ceremoney was beautiful and, thanks to the groomzilla, perfect. Everything was wonderful and everyone was happy.
That is, except a green haired man with swords on his belt who was currently tugging at the collar of his tuxedo. Musashi was CT's best man, and for the longest time refused to wear a tuxedo. CT yelled and demanded he did, yet the former Scyther refused. Lilith spoke of how good he'd look. Eventually Musashi caved in and wore the uncomfortable clothing. He continued to tug at the collar, hating the tight, restricting top of the suit. He walked up to CT at the reception. "I can remove this now, right?"
CT raised an eyebrow, at Musashi. "You can remove it, when you leave. While you're still here, you will continue to wear a suit. It's only proper." he said, slightly offended by the fact that Musashi wanted to change back into his tacky clothes. CT was glad that Musashi was just there, but it wouldn't kill him to at least dress proper. "You'll survive." he sighed, straightening Musashi's collar.

Lilith, meanwhile, was distracted by something else. She found herself holding a bouquet of flowers, although she certainly wasn't trying to catch it. Somebody else had accidentally bumped it to her, it seemed. She didn't go to the wedding because she was friends with CT. She was still slightly afraid of him. Instead, she went because she was friends with everybody else, Lash included. "Um..." she blushed, surprised at the bouquet that she was now holding.
Musashi groaned, giving CT a grumpy face when his collar was straightened. Honestly sometimes CT's obsession with neatness and perfection worked on Musashi's nerves. He turned, walking away as he once more tugged at his collar. Honestly, the thing felt like an Ekans wrapping its snake body around his neck and squeezing. He came up to Lilith, looking at the bouquet. "Ah, Lilith. I see you won the flower catching game all the women were participating in. I wanted to join in, but they wouldn't let me because I am male. Frankly, I find it to be unfair."
Musashi didn't personally see the big deal about flowers. They were colorful and some of them smelled pretty nice he supposed. However, that didn't mean Musashi didn't understand why others would like them, and even allowed Lilith to plant small flower gardens outside the dojo to 'improve its appearance to potential students'.
Lilith blushed, when she heard Musashi. She wasn't trying to participate in the bouquet toss, because she didn't know why they were tossing flowers around. She had never been to a wedding, and didn't quite understand some of it. Soto finally spoke up, explaining to her the significance of it. She also had to tease Lilith about it, a bit. "It...I....um..." Lilith fidgeted, still blushing. "It was...girls only." she finally said. Musashi seemed to be fidgeting as well, with his suit collar. Lilith set the bouquet down, and loosened his collar. "There. That better?" she smiled. "Girls only? How unfair. I would have won that game, so easily. I heard there was a game for the males involving some band on the bride's thigh, but CT was against that." Musashi sighed. "Thank you Lilith, that's much more comfortable."
Soto was plotting. She walked past Lilith, gently bumping into her, as Lilith was fixing Musashi's collar. Musashi blushed slightly when Lilith seemed to drape herself all over him. "Um, Lilith? I um. Don't think you need to inspect my collar that closely." he then noticed Soto. "Soto, I hope you are ready to apologize for bumping into Lilith, or maybe I can give you some extra training when we get back?" he said calmly.



Glade was obligated to go, on Shade's request. He felt uncomfortable in his suit, and the chair was wooden. Glade nudged atShade, and asked, "Why did we go to this stupid wedding anyway? I thought CT doesn't even like you." Shade nodded his head, and responded, "You could thank Mom for that; she made fast friends with Lash, and so, here we are."

"Mom didn't even go to the wedding..."

"She has the flu, remember?"

"Riiight, the flu. I'm gonna go to the buffet and talk to Nico."

Glade got up and noticed Nico already getting some food from the buffet. "So... kind of a shock that your parents didn't really marry until all of a sudden, isn't it?" he asked as he grabbed some sandwiches and fried chicken before coveing it all in honey mustard.
Nico had a plateful of food, not a trace of meat on it. Despite both parents and their species being avid carnivores, Nico was a vegetarian. His plate was loaded with fruit, vegetables, and a small piece of cake, as he wasn't much of a sweets eater, either. "Not really. I'm glad they finally got married. Now it finally feels like we're a real family." he shrugged, munching on a carrot.
"Hey, since you're here..." he said, voice quiet as though he didn't want his parents to hear. "Your brother and my dad are still stuck in the contract thing, right? Well, I was thinking, what if we joined?" he said, a little unsure. "I mean, I dunno. It could be fun."

A pair of brown ears popped between Nico and Glade, Clementine giving them a mischievous grin. "Hello boys, and what are you two plotting behind the adult's backs, hm? Come on come on, tell me!" she said, her fluffy striped tail wagging excitedly.
"Why do you want to know?" Glade asked before he nudged Nico even closer and whispered quietly so Clem would not be able to hear it. "Are you sure about this? I normally see you, well, avoiding fights, and you're normally super shy around everyone; but if you're serious, I think it'd be fun." he whispered with a smile.
Nico just shrugged. "Well, yeah...I mean...yeah...I guess I don't really like hurting people..." he said. "But the way Dad and Uncle Musashi fought out there...it was just so cool. I mean, it's all just for fun, right? Besides, Dad says I need to socialize, more."
"Come on, tell me or I'll let your daddy know, Nico." Clem said, pouting. "Back off, we were having a nice conversation til you butted in." Glade said to her. "Come on, let's go somewhere else, Nico."
"Um," Nico stopped, jerking away from Glade. "A-actually, um....I'd rather you not tell." he said, turning to Clem. "We were um...I mean...I think....I'd kinda like to be in that tournament thingy...." he said, fidgeting. "But don't tell my dad! He'd never let me sign up for something, like that." he insisted, giving his parents a glance. They were busy talking to Mac and Shade, so they hadn't noticed the plotting. "Ooooh you're gonna join? Let me join, too! I heard it was gonna be a group tournament we can so team up together and show all those older people what for." Clem said, tail wagging.


"Perhaps if you have the time, you can visit my house soon? I could babysit the kids if you're busy." Mac said to Lash. CT sighed, not particularly wanting to talk to either of them. They were friends of Lash and the kids, though, so he felt obligated to invite them. Honeymoon? The detective should have known that they wouldn't be able to plan vacation, what with the next tournament being right around the corner. And babysit? Nico was old enough to stay by himself, and Porter was around if they needed him. Lash just happily carried on the conversation. She enjoyed talking, much more than CT did.
A knock came to the door, Bruce answering. Vinnie Mac cam waltzing in. "A mighty fine reception you all have here! Ah, Mr. Blackstone. Just who I wanted to see." he walked up and clapped CT on the back. "Congratulations on your wedding. I'm here to say the tournament is ready. Sign ups for your team drawing will be tomorrow, so get a good night's rest. It's going to be in teams of three, tag team rotation style. Six men battling, two in at a time. Exciting right? Anyway, I must be going; I'll take this cake to go. Mm delicious, is this marble? Wonderful! Well then see you tomorrow, or my lawyers will." he said, heading out with a big slice of wedding cake, no one able to get a single word in edgewise. His limo was soon heard screeching out of earshot.

 

The day came for the tournament signups, and everyone traveled en masse to Nimbasa City. Musashi sighed as he signed his name. Seemed they couldn't choose their teams, which sucked. Out of his view, Clem and the other teenagers slipped close to the signup. "Ok, let's sign our names before they stop us."
Nico nodded, agreeing. There was no way his dad would let him sign up for something like this, so he had to be sneaky about it. He felt guilty about it, but better to ask for forgiveness than permission, he supposed. "Let's just hope we won't have to." Nico sighed, as he signed his name.

Ahti was also signing up. He wasn't much of a battler, anymore. He didn't see the sense in it, plus he wasn't exactly the youngest competitor on the field. Clem had begged him to join, though, and who knows? Maybe it could be fun. Along with Ahti, two others were also signing up. One was Lilith, and the other was a familiar recurring face.
"Well, hi there!" Naga smirked. "Long time no see!" he said, putting an arm around Musashi. "So, I owe you one for last battle. This time, I intend to win. 'K? 'K. Glad to know we have an understanding. Now, if you don't mind-" he turned around and stopped, mid-sentence, as Lilith caught his attention. "Oh. Wow. You....you're...beautiful..."
"Um...thank you...I suppose..." Lilith blushed. Naga nudged closer to her. "So, after this tournament thing is over...you. Me. Dinner. Whattya say?" he grinned. Musashi glared at Naga, looking back to Lilith. "You should stay away from a man like him Lilith, he's bad for you."

Smaug had a wicked hangover. His head throbbed as if there were a thousand island drums going off inside his head. The shiny black Charizard-morph was NOT feeling happy, nor was he feeling tolerant of buffoons. However, Smaug was not lucky this morning, for as he walked up to the sign-up sheet for the tournament he found an absolute buffoon, causing trouble right in front of him. He went right up to Naga, his tail wishing behind him in agitation, the flame burning bright.
"You're in my way." he stated through gritted teeth. Giving the man only enough time to turn his head in confusion, he clocked him straight to the jaw, watching him collapse to the ground. He quickly swiped Naga's wallet from his pants, and sighed as he peered into it. "Empty......great." he whispered, dropping the wallet onto the man's body and proceeded to sign up for the tournament.
Naga rubbed at his jaw, getting back up. "Ow....yeah, and you're any better?" he mumbled at Musashi, tossing the wallet back. "Damn. Swiped that thing, for nothing." he sighed. As the competitors were called to have their teams picked, Naga leaned on Lilith one last time. "So, I'll get back to you about that date." he said, before heading to the arena.


Meanwhile, CT and Shade were training together. "So, did you notice that there's already merchandise with our faces on it? Like lunchboxes and piggy banks?" he asked as he was punching on CT's shock-absorbing pads he was wearing on his hands.
"Thankfully," CT said, as Shade threw another punch. "Nothing with me on it. I'm glad you're all eating this up, but frankly, I'll be glad when it's all over." he said, with a light growl. CT did not like publicity, and his one condition was that he stay out of the spotlight, fights aside. "Elvis was enough. I don't need any more competition trying to harm me, or worse, my family."
"Ah. It appears we're being called, already."


Everyone gathered in front of a stage, Vince standing with a smile.

"Welcome battlers. You all will be set in teams of three to duke it out against one another. First some ground rules: no killing. This has to be seen as a show to the fans out there so we can't have any real deaths which brings us to rule two. Rule two is no revealing that you changelings are 100% authentic to the audience or anyone not in this room. This must be kept a secret. Now, only three groups signed up as teams so I will announce them first. Team Venom and Team Air Raid, and Team Victory." He motioned to three trios; one was all clad in purple uniforms, the other in white and tan uniforms, and last were three in non matching uniforms who stayed in the corner."
"Now to make the drawings for the rest of the teams. The teams are as such." he pulled out a bunch of note cards and cleared his throat. "Corpsetaker Blackstone, Musashi of Iccirus, and Shade Potter. Ahti Porter, Bruce Strong, and Smaug. Naga, Lilith, and Lancelot. Clementine Porter, Glade Potter, and Nicodemus Blackstone. Last but not least is the team of Randy O'Malley, Thanatos, and Sebastian Blackstone. Everyone go ahead and find your teams, get to know one another."
Musashi looked to CT. "Facing each other, and now once more we fight together." he said. Something was nagging at the back of his head though; what was that last name Vince said?

Bruce looked at Ahti and chuckled. "Well well, together eh? I'm sure you have some words for your little girl right now. I'll leave you to that."

CT stood for a moment, in shock. There were several things not quite right, here. First of all, Vince still didn't get his name right. Was CT really such a difficult name? Second, great. Thanatos was here. Last run-in with him wasn't exactly a pleasant one. Thirdly...

"Nick!" CT growled, turning to face his son. "Um...hi, dad." Nico said, with a nervous grin. "Blast it all, Nick! What in bloody hell would possess you to join something, like this?! You could get hurt! I am not letting you fight!" CT didn't even bother trying to hide the anger, in his tone. "I....I mean....the way you battled, out there....I could....I dunno. It looked fun. I th-think I could do it..." Nico stuttered, fidgeting. "You....you think I'm strong enough, right?" CT just sighed, rubbing at his forehead. "Nicky," he said, less anger in his voice and more concerned parent, this time. "I know you're strong. Physical strength has nothing to do with it. There are battlers out there who wouldn't think twice, about hurting you." he said, gesturing to Thanatos. "I don't want you to get hurt."
Nico sighed, understanding what his dad was saying. "I know, but you can't keep sheltering me, my whole life. I'll have to take care of myself, eventually. I want to do this. Please." CT once again sighed. "Damn it, Nick." he said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Nico wasn't so little, anymore; CT had been sheltering him, and maybe it was time to let him fight for himself, for once. "Alright. You win. Just...please be careful." he said, giving Nico a quick hug.

Ahti had a similar conversation with Clementine, but it was less about battling and more about going behind his back and being sneaky. All she had to do, was ask. Naga, on the other hand, was not having any meaningful conversations. "Woo hoo!" he shouted, tossing his hands into the air. "Looks like we're on the same team!" he said, throwing an arm around Lilith. "Not exactly what I had in mind, for a first date, but it'll do." he said, with a grin. Lilith just blushed and fidgeted. "It's um....it's not a date. We're just battling, together. Plus he's also on our team." she said, pointing to Lance. "Puh." Naga said, in a huff. "Still totally a date."

 

The next day came by soon enough, everyone gathered in the back area of the arena. Vince smiled as he held up a microphone. "Welcome, everyone! Let's get this tournament on it's way. Featuring first, sponsored by Viridian PokeMart, home of the best and cheapest antidotes, Team Venom!" he announced, the three opponents came in. They wore a purple and black ensemble, two tall and rather skinny men with long black bangs with purple highlights flanking a girl with a slightly round build. They looked at the crowd with a great disinterest.
"Our second team, the youngest entrants in this trounament. The team of Clementine Porter, Glade Potter, and Nico Blackstone: Team Teen Spirit!" The prospect of a young team got the crowd applauding loudly. Clem bounced out, waving happily.
"Teams, choose your starting fighter and get into the ring." The 'ring' Vince mentioned was a large square area in the middle of the arena.

Sebastian smiled as he swirled an apple martini in his hand, being seated on a balcony overlooking the ring. He was very much interested in this match; after all, the murderer of the creator had done his own experiment. Nico Blackstone was well worth watching.
"Randy, would you be so kind as to go speak with our partner? I would like to understand him before our first match." he said to the larger man beside him. A grin crossed his lips as he watched the two teams move toward the ring. "Mmmmmmmyes. Let us see how well your experiments have gone, Mr. Blackstone."
Randy, a tall, dark-haired man with deep blue eyes, grunted in reply to Sebastian. Randy held memories of when he was alive. He was a Gyarados, a mighty sea serpent who laid waste to all of his enemies. He was Pen's Gyarados, caught in the Lake of Rage as a lowly and useless Magikarp. However, Lance killed him. He could have won! He knew he should have won! Now he was alive all thanks to this foppish man beside him. He walked away, heading to the silver clad third member. He took time to look him up and down, assessing him. He was strong and full of rage, much like himself. "Sebastian is Team Leader. Got it?" he grunted.


Through a game of Rock Paper Scissors, Glade was named Team Captain, and it was decision time on who would make the openning punch: Glade turned to Nico, and asked him with a friendly smile, "Well, if you want me to go first, that's fine, but since I'm team captain, I'll ask if you want to go first, since this is all your idea."
"Well, I um...I guess....I'm uh....not so good with crowds, but..." Nico stuttered, fidgeting. He looked at Glade. He was right, this was entirely his idea. "Alright. I'll go, first." he said, taking a deep breath. He stepped forward, to face his first opponent, a tall and slender man, whose figure vaguely resembled something almost serpentine.
His opponent gave him a smirk, laced with what sounded almost like a hiss. Right, Team Venom. His dad taught him all about different types, and who was weak to what, and who was resistant to what. "Venom" had to be Poison types. Earthquake it was, then. Nico stomped at the ground, causing the earth beneath the Arbok man to rumble.

CT watched, nervously fidgeting with his scarf. "He's never been in a battle like this, before. What if he can't do it? What if he needs my help? Oh god, what if he gets hurt?" he said, pacing. Musashi sighed as he watched CT pace around. Perhaps Musashi should have taken the leader position. He stood up and grabbed CT's shoulder. "Sorry but-" he slapped him
"Settle down, already. Nico is a strong boy, we both have trained him to the best of our abilities. He's also a very smart boy. He'll be fine. We have greater things to worry about. "Nico is in good hands." Shade told CT, as he was now observing the match.
CT started to shout at Musashi, for slapping him. He was right, though. Nico was capable of taking care of himself, all he needed was the chance. CT sighed. Perhaps he had been a little overprotective. What was Musashi talking about, though? "My son," he growled. "Who has never liked fighting or violence, and never been in a battle like this, suddenly decides he wants to be a part of this tournament without any prior training for this sort of thing. What could possibly be more worrisome, than that?"

Meanwhile, in the arena, Nico seemed to be holding up just fine. That was, until the Arbok person used Ice Fang. Granted he no longer had fangs and biting a kid would probably be frowned upon anyway, but it was an improvised Ice Fang. Nico did not like the cold, and did not take Ice type hits well. He fell back, shivering. "I c-can't....Clem....t-tag..." he stuttered, shivering.

Sebastian swirled his martini, taking a sip as he watched the match. "The boy can't handle the cold. As expected from such a mix, though I had hoped to see the boy handle himself better." he said to no one in particular, brushing the white hair that usually covered half his face. He took another sip of his apple martini, smiling once again. "Mmmmmmyes, the boy definitely needs work."
Randy had found his way back to Sebastian's side, watching the match with a judgmental glare. "Hmph, the boy is weak. I could crush him with one hand." he grunted. He then spotted the girl he was tagging in. It couldn't be, after so long could it possibly be her? Those mannerisms, that energy, even that smile and the tail. "Clementine." he said quietly.

Clementine was smiling as she ran in, giddy at being in a tournament fight. The opponent felt this was a joke, a child and now a little girl? Pathetic, it was time to give these brats a spanking and send them home to their mothers. Clementine may have been young, but the instincts from battling in the league and against gym leaders kicked in from her subconscious, ducking and rolling out of the way of a flurry of poison needles that came from the man's mouth. A Poison Sting attack was nothing to shrug off. She moved in and bashed her head into the man's gut. The Arbok grunted as the air was knocked from his lungs, Clem spinning as her tail glowed silver, smacking him in the jaw with her Iron Tail.
The man fell to the ground, the ref blowing his whistle. "One man down, next one up!" he said. The dark clad woman took the call. She was a Swalot, a gelatinous creature made of toxin that consistently ate its opponents.

"Start off by using Iron Tail, Clem!" Glade yelled from the sidelines.
Clem pouted slightly, she didn't need Glade shouting out what she should do. If anything she was the most experienced of the three. Clem ducked under a gunk of poisonous gunk shot by the swalot woman her tail glowing silver. She bashed the woman with an iron tail. The woman was sent back. Clem glowed white, feeling energy coming from Nico. She smiled as the earth rumbled, causing the woman to fall unconscious. The last man came in, glaring. This man was bigger than the others, originally a scorpion-like Pokémon known as a Drapion. Clem hugged Nico. "Yay Nico, you helped me win." she touched his hand. "Tag, go get 'im." she giggled.
Nico shivered, still cold from that Ice Fang. "I...I uh...I don't th-think I can..." he said, chilled. "I g-gotta t-tag you, Glade." he said, as his shaky hand tagged the team captain. "S-sorry Clem." he said, wrapping his jacket around him. "I kn-know you wanted me to b-battle more, but I don't do s-so well, when I'm c-cold." he apologized, trying to get a little warm. Clem smiled at Nico, patting his head. "It's ok, you can get the next match." she giggled. "This is so much fun."
As soon as Nico tagged Glade, he was was the field, and did a mental analysis on the Drapion person: he didn't have an advantage nor disadvantage, so it wouldn't matter what kind of attack he would use, but he decided that it would be better if he tried to weaken him up. Therefore, he used Inferno on him. The Drapion put his arms up, being engulfed in the flames. He glared as his hand glowed with violet energy. He stuck his hand out and fired energy needles made of a venomous power at Glade, a powerful Venoshock attack.
The Venoshock made Glade flip and land on his back. "Ouch...that wasn't very nice." Glade said as I got up. "Now I sound like Shade..." he thought to himself. He was poisoned, so he would need to tag someone, but not without making a couple of attacks, since everyone was watching. He replied to that attack with a Will-o-Wisp. The Drapion glared, charging up another Venoshock to send at Glade.
Glade had to act fast before his opponent could finish charging his attack; he knew that if he got knocked out, it would be over for him. struggling to stay up with the poison, he had one more attack to make before he could tag out, though he's hoping he doesn't have to. He had one word in mind: Inferno. And he did just that, and it raged onto the opponent like a hellish fury. The Drapion passed out from the Inferno, the flames sucking all the oxygen out of him.

Vince grabbed a microphone. "The winners, ladies and gentlemen! What a tough spunky bunch aren't they?


Meanwhile, Shade was a bit nervous about his little brother being in the tournament; he never really did get into a serious fight before, even when he was a normal, everyday kid. The only way he could find out for sure whether or not he could hold out on a fight was when Clem would inevitably call out the team captain out on the field. He started to have concern not about the kids' safety, but the possibility of having to face off against them. "I don't know if I could face off against my brother, or if you tried to face off against your son." he told CT. "I hope we don't have to face them, because it would feel uncomfortable and awkward." he finished as he looked on to see his brother fighting.
"Hm." Musashi watched the fight. "I don't have as much trouble, I already train Nico, and I've battled alongside Clem long ago. It would be like one big sparring match." he said.
CT sighed, acknowledging both Shade and Musashi. "I train with Nick, often. I don't hold back, keeping him on edge. Making him guess what my next move will be. If we faced off against each other, I have no doubt he would beat me." CT said, with a smile. "It's the other opponents I'm worried about. I know what he is and isn't capable of. Physically he's strong, but he still needs work, emotionally. " he continued, the smile quickly fading. Nico was, indeed, strong. However, it only took one Ice type hit to take him down. CT was worried, and it was difficult for him to not stomp out on the field, grab Nico and take him straight home.
"If you say so. The thing is, though, unlike you or Sashi, I never trained with my brother; the only thing I have spruced him up with is which Pokémon does what; gave him his 'third eye', so to speak." Shade replied with concern. Musashi sighed. "Don't worry, he has Nico and Clementine with him. Believe it or not, Clem was once an incredibly skilled battler. She's beaten gym leaders and even a member of the Elite Four all on her own. " he said. "If anything, she's kept her instincts."
CT sighed, knowing how Shade felt. "It wouldn't have hurt for him to train, though. Them not telling us is what upsets me, the most. They snuck around, behind our backs, and charged into a battle completely unprepared." CT stopped for a moment, mulling over his previous statement. "Not that I would have allowed Nico to join, anyway, but it still wouldn't have killed him to ask." he shrugged.
"True, but just like you said, I didn't think he would join either. All we can do now is watch, pat them on the back regardless if they win or lose, and wish them good luck on the next round." Shade said to him. He suddenly thought of an idea. "Say, Musashi," he turned to him before asking "Do you think they would be a good fit for your school? They look willing, and it would be good for my brother to have a form of proper self-defense."
Musashi smiled. "My dojo is open to anyone who wishes to learn. I'm sure Glade would get along fine with all my students...except Mavra of course."


"Puh." Naga huffed, crossing his arms. "Can you believe this? Kids. They're letting kids fight, now!" he complained. "They seem to be doing really well, though. Especially Clementine." Lilith said, with a slight smile. "Doesn't matter. They're throwing kids into the arena, making them fight, all so the crowd can be entertained. You wouldn't sit there and watch a school fight, would you? No, you try to break it up and tell the kids not to fight. Here, it's encouraged!" Naga continued. "Are you okay?" Lilith said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Before, you were all ready to battle." Naga sighed; "I just don't like seeing kids get hurt, okay?"
Naga gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I can't stand watching this. This isn't right!" The statement sounded odd, coming from somebody like Naga. Lilith didn't know him, but judging by the stolen wallet earlier, and the sheer violence during his last battle with Musashi, she knew he wasn't exactly friends with the law. Something about this was hitting a nerve, and she was curious just what it was.
"They can handle themselves. Musashi and I have trained with Nico, and Clementine has beaten gym leaders and challenged the Indigo League. They'll be fine. Why are you so worried?" she said, her voice soft. Naga didn't say anything, for a while, trying to choose his words carefully. "Something happened, a long time ago. It's a personal thing, and I don't want to talk about it. I just don't like seeing kids get hurt, like this."

 

"All right, our next teams are ready, I hope. Introducing first, sponsored by Mistralton airlines: Team Air Raid!" VInce announced, a team of three lean athletic looking young men waving to the crowd. "And their opponents, two finalists in the previous tournament. The team of CT Blackstone, Musashi, and Shade Potter!"
"Well, I guess we get to show those three how it's done." Musashi said, standing up and vaulting down to the arena floor.
CT groaned, not looking forward to the battle. He had almost snapped last time, and he feared if it happened again, he wouldn't be able to come back from it. On the other hand, his kids looked up to him, and backing out would disappoint them both. Plus, now that Nico was in it, he had to keep a close eye on him. He sighed, stepping out into the arena. "Very well, then. Let's get this over with." he said, as his opponent stepped out. He was a trim young man, fit but not ripped. He was dressed mostly in deep grays, with a touch of cream and red. CT had never seen him before, and he was too young to be one of Blackstone's experiments. Must be one of Elvis' creations, then.
The opponent, on the other hand, knew who CT was. After his last tournament, it was hard not to know of him. He knew what CT was, but all CT knew was that he was a flying type. He definitely wouldn't see this attack coming, then. The young man's fists glowed with a bright aura, as they quickly slammed into CT, one after another. The Close Combat sent CT hurtling backward, surprised. One, because of the Fighting type attack. For another, he was usually the faster one. Definitely a Staraptor, then. If he was faster, CT wouldn't be able to handle it. Musashi might be able to outspeed him, but he was at a type disadvantage. The only other option was..
"Detective Potter! I think you'd better handle this one!" CT shouted, over the roaring crowd.
Shade nodded at CT, and hopped into the ring. "Isn't that lock of hair a bit of a bother on one of your eyes?" he asked before he tried to dazzle him with Astonish. While Shade wouldn't exactly be the right person for a Flying-type, he at least isn't at a type disadvantage, and has a tendency to make his opponents weak before using his fire-type moves.
Musashi grunted, he wanted to fight but he had to wait until he was tagged in. "Hm, CT. You went down fast." he said. CT dusted off the sleeves of his suit, rolling his eyes. "I didn't go down. I took a hit, a surprising one at that. This person thought he had an advantage, with Close Combat. I tagged out, because it doesn't affect Ghost types, so now he's the one at a disadvantage. Sending him out first clearly means they meant to take out the strongest opponent, so with me tagging out, they're caught off guard. Battling is more than just raw power, Musashi. It's also about wits and strategy. You don't always have to fight."
The Astonish knocked some sense into the Staraptor, but he replied to Shade, saying, "It's part of the costume; I'm mainly doing this to ask Naga out on a date." Before he blew kisses toward him, who was standing ringside. Shade could only facepalm and say to him. "Can we get on with this?" he asked him, but was interrupted with an Air Slash.
Shade got hit, but bounced back with a Flamethrower. The attack surprisingly knocked the Staraptor out with no problem. "Alright, Sashi, second guy is all yours." turned around and tagged Musashi, whose opponent would be a squinty eyed man with totem tattoos. A Xatu.
Musashi stared down his opponent. No type advantage, really. He wondered how strong this guy was. Musashi charged forward, slashing his X-Scissor attack at the Xatu, who leaped up just in time to dodge the attack. Musashi's swords still glowed with green energy as he got hit from behind. He rolled and faced his opponent. The move felt weak, but it was definitely a flying attack. Aerial Ace perhaps? This guy wanted surefire accuracy.
CT watched Musashi try to take on the opponent, head-on. "Still so much to learn." he sighed. "You've got him out-powered, but he's still got the type advantage and a he's sure to hit you. Battling isn't all about attack! You need to outwit him!" he shouted. One thing CT learned over the years, was how to outsmart his opponents. Turn things around in his favor, and Pokémon battling, it turns out, isn't any different. It wasn't about type advantage or disadvantage, it was about using the right moves at the right time, and that was something he hoped Nico would remember, during this tournament.

"That guy's a teacher?" Naga scoffed. "Seriously, what kind of teacher teaches people to just run right into a battle, without thinking?" he said, crossing his arms. "He beat you, didn't he?" Lilith smirked. "Hey! He caught me off guard! I thought he was down!" Naga quickly shot back. Lilith just grinned, as she watched the match. "He might be a little too eager to battle, sometimes, but he knows what he's doing."

Musashi took is stance, holding back a shout as he heard CT talking. Musashi was a proud duelist, ever since he was hatched he had been dueling. As all his swarm knew that winning duels often meant taking a hit or two, it all amounted to who was standing tall at the end. He couldn't let his annoyance at his teammate distract him. Damn these Xatus, they were so used to standing and staring at the sky for hours on end like a totem pole, Musashi had little choice but to move first to force the guy's hand. Make him move, and then find the mistake. The Xatu stared at Musashi, daring him to make the move again. Musashi smirked as he moved towards the enemy once more. The Xatu charged back, charging up for another Aerial Ace, only to see two Musashis now. Was it some trick of the eyes? Well, close. The Musashi that got hit had no body, vanishing as the other turned and pelted the Xatu to the ground. Trying to take advantage, he pounced and tried to hit a second X-Scissor, only to find the Xatu not there. He turned around.
Teleport, of course. The Xatu built up a blueish energy around it. Sky Attack, a powerful move of the flying type that had to be charged up. Musashi sent a volley of Air Slashes at the Xatu. One of the finer things of the Air Slash was how the targets would flinch, giving Musashi ample time to move in, creating Double Teams. The Xatu charged, the energy covering him like a cloak. He breezed through, hitting all of the charging Musashis. He stopped, the energy dissipating. He felt no connection with any of them, but that meant. The Xatu looked, seeing no fallen body. From above the Xatu came down Musashi, his blades glowing green as he hit his opponent with the X-Scissor. The Xatu fell, he wasn't a very tough man. Musashi wiped his brow. "Well, it wasn't all that hard." he turned and moved to CT, tapping on his shoulder. "See? I know what I'm doing."

"Congratulations." CT said, dryly. "You used up all that energy, on one opponent. By using a surprise Close Combat, they clearly intended to take me out, first. When it didn't go as expected, they sent out a weaker one, as fodder. That must mean the last one is tough. While I'm sure you can and have taken out Flying types, never underestimate your opponent." He said, starting to walk out on the field. He turned back to Musashi once more, adding, "You're not on a one-on-one duel, here. You're on a team, and one weak link, or in this case one stubborn link, can be the downfall of the whole team. They have a strategy. It wouldn't kill you to work with me on one, as well."

CT stepped out onto the field, and faced a man dressed in mostly-white, laced with a few spots of blue and red. His hair was white and spiked, and he had roughly the same build as that Staraptor guy. CT didn't recognize this one, either. If it was one of Elvis', like the last one, he'd be sure that he could be able to take out his enemies. If there was one thing about Elvis that CT learned, it was that he was predictable. What move would a Togekiss have, that could put CT at a serious disadvantage?
"Oh. Bugger." CT said, as the Togekiss began to glow, an Aura surrounding him. Aura Sphere couldn't be dodged, but it could be countered. As the Togekiss shot bright blue ball of energy, CT countered it with a Focus Blast, and the two spheres collided into each other, sending both opponents sliding back a ways. "I can do this, all day!" CT said, with a toothy smirk. The Togekiss just looked at him, with a smirk of his own. He waggled his finger, and promptly began to glow. Did he just use....
The Metronome cause his head to glow a bright red, as he began charging into CT, head lowered. The Head Charge slammed into CT, knocking the wind out of him. The Togekiss stepped away, about to ready another attack. "Tag....I tag!" CT said, trying to catch his breath. "You're up, Shade!"
"A Togekiss? What?!" Shade couldn't believe that a person based on such an adorable Pokémon would be able to knock out Mr. Grumpy Mafia Boss. He hopped in, cautiously observing him. Shade used his Flamethrower attack on him, only to be greeted by a sudden Lava Plume to the face in return.
Shade then threw out a Shadow Ball, in attempt to knock the flames and smoke away. The Togekiss had a move that would surely knock Shade out: he swung at the Shadow Ball with his arm like a baseball bat towards Shade, sending him flying out of the ring, right in between CT and Sashi. "He's yours... Mommy, can I have some chocolate milk... extra...chocolate..." Shade would not be coming back from that for the rest of the match.

Well, this wasn't good. Shade was down, and this guy was good. Musashi went in. This was a Togekiss, so he had no advantage. Maybe he could weaken it for CT. He launched a few Air Slashes, the man taking them with a smile. He wagged his finger, another Metronome. Musashi created his Double Team as one copy got blasted by a gem of energy. Power Gem, that would have hurt. He sent more volleys of Air Slashes into him, swooping in with an X-Scissor. The attack connected, although it wasn't very effective. The Togekiss turned to him and suddenly Musashi was blasted back, on fire. A Fire Blast? Really? He winced as he tagged CT. "I'm hurting, finish it."
CT stood, clutching his chest. He had just barely caught his breath from that Head Charge, and Shade and Musashi were already out. He stepped back out into the arena, once again facing his opponent. He knew the drill. The Aura Sphere was once again countered by Focus Blast, although with CT's focus wavering, the force still knocked him back a bit.
The Togekiss used Metronome once more, this time shooting out a light indigo aura of energy: Dragon Rage. CT dodged, still narrowly missing. "That's it!" he growled, tossing a dark purple ball of energy at the Togekiss, causing him to flinch. "And another!" he said, throwing another Dark Pulse at him, again causing him to flinch. His hands glowed bright blue, readying one final attack. "Did I ever mention how much I loathe Togekiss?" he snarled, throwing one final Dragon Pulse at the man, knocking him out. CT grinned as the man fell, but he shook his head and it quickly faded. "Damn it, not again..."
Musashi put a firm hand on CT's shoulder to calm him down. "Well, we won. That was harder than I thought it would be." CT sighed, and jerked away from Musashi. "I'm fine." he insisted, and straightened his jacket. "I told you not to underestimate your opponents. Especially now that our next battle is likely to be against somebody we know."

Vince grabbed the microphone.
"All right everyone! Wasn't that heated? Astounding! Our next match is about to start. First off, sponsored by the Indigo Plateau, home of Victory Road: Team Victory! Their opponent's a finalist from the previous tournament: Naga. The student and apprentice of Musashi: Lilith. And a newcomer, by the name of Lancelot!"
Lancelot took the lead and stepped up to the ring, his eyes glancing over his two companions. His eyes lingered a bit longer on Naga's form, checking out the muscle structure of the man. The pretty boy was dressed like a Roman soldier, showing signs that he was most likely an Excavalier. His blonde hair billowed out from under the plumed helmet, the breastplate on his chest glinting in the sunlight. In his hand he held a spear that had red and white swirling decorations upon it. "I shall go first. If I succeed you shall not need to dirty your hands, m'lady." he said to Lilith, hefting his spear in his hand as he stood in a defensive stance.
"Oh, um..well," Lilith started, fidgeting. Naga interrupted, before she could say anything else. "She didn't join this tournament, to stand here and watch." he defended, putting a hand on her shoulder. Lilith nervously nudged away from him. "Actually um..some of my students are here, and they were kind of looking forward to watching me in a real tournament. Good luck, though!" she said to Lance, smiling as he walked into the arena.

Lance looked back at his companions. Again his eyes went to Naga. "A lady shouldn't be harmed in battle. If she wishes to battle, I shall find the most appropriate opponent for her." he said, nodding to Lilith before turning back to face his opponent; a Hypno it seemed, since the man held a golden watch on a chain. Lance focused, his body shimmering like metal as he activated his Iron Defense. This was in case the opponent had any physical moves. He then started to spin his spear around him in a dance-like fashion in order to increase his attack with Swords Dance.
The Hypno man grinned, as he looked at Laneclot preparing for battle. He showed his pocket watch, shaking it back and forth as hypnotic waves came towards Lancelot. The Hypno's eyes glowed with a blue light as he attempted to put his opponent to sleep with a Hypnosis.
Lancelot wouldn't be fooled by such a simple move. He pointed his spear at the Hypno, a green glow enveloping the tip of the spear. He then charges straight at the Hypno, unleashing his Megahorn attack. The Hypno smirked, such an easy to read attack. He stuck a hand out: a shield of Protect blocking the Megahorn attack. He then moved in, his fist on fire as he punched. When his Megahorn was blocked, Lancelot was confused. The man had been focusing on his hypnosis, so how had he been able to react so quickly? Either way Lancelot saw the Fire Punch coming, but he noticed that the Hypno man had dropped the protect shield in order to go on the offensive. Lancelot steeled himself for the blow and headbutted the Hypno man in the face with his Iron Head move. The Hypno felt his punch connect, then he was sprawling onto the floor, his large nose broken and bleeding. He clutched his face, rolling around in pain.
Lancelot was in pain. Fiery, fiery pain. He figured that if he hadn't raised his defense he'd be on the ground along with the Hypno man. His left hand gripped his side where the punch had hit, his spear glowing green as he powered up a Megahorn for the writhing opponent. "Give up or be eliminated." he said through gritted teeth. The Hypno man nodded, the bell ringing for an elimination, the next opponent coming in. The man had a long mustache and wore a kun fu uniform with long sleeves. He was originally the weasel like Pokémon named Meinshao, a breed that specialized in fighting style moves.
Lancelot stood tall, taking his hand away from his side as his spear still glowed with a green light. He charged the new opponent, trying to jute around and unleash his attack. The man moved toward Lancelot's attack, flipping over the glowing spear and thrusting his foot out for a High Jump Kick. Lancelot took the kick to the back of the head, loosing his footing for a few moments. His vision was fuzzy and his sense of balance was off. It was time to tag out. He focused and ran flat out towards his comrades, arm outstretched. Was that red blur Naga?

Naga stepped back as Lancelot fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding physical contact with the odd man. "Um, so I guess that technically means I'm tagged, then?" he said, shrugging at Lilith. Lilith just shrugged back. "Well, okay then!" Naga said, stepping over Lance and onto the field. "Woo! I love a crowd!" he said, arms held high in the air. "Alright, weasel-boy! Let's dance!" The Mienshao man seemed annoyed at Naga's antics, but the crowd was cheering him on. His interaction with the audience gave him a small fanbase, and his loss in the last tournament was a disappointing one. He was going to make sure that wasn't going to happen, again. Naga had faced Mienshaos before, and their movesets were always rather predictable. Fake Out, but his first turn was already over. Hi Jump Kick had already been seen in action, but there was another move Mienshao had that would be more effective against Naga's type. The man ran toward Naga, and sure enough, bounced high up into the air. "You guys really are boring, you know that?" Naga said in a bored tone, watching his opponent come hurtling down at him. Naga's hand began to glow white, as he grabbed the Mienshao's foot just before he landed. "Nope." Naga yawned, as he crushed his opponent's foot and tossed the man aside. That hurt, and definitely hindered his movement. His defense was down. Perfect. There was one other move that Mienshao always seemed to have, and this one was about to use it. The man glowed with a faint green energy, as he went for a U-Turn. Naga countered it with a Fire Blast, and sent the man flying backwards.
"Hah! In your face, weasel-boy!" he said, striking a pose. "Seriously! Learn some new moves!" he said, walking off. "Alright, Lilly. You're up. Not that I can't battle or anything, but you deserve a shot out there." he said, tapping her on the shoulder. Lilith smiled and nodded, as she walked onto the field. Naga was a shameless flirt, and although he did believe Lilith deserved a chance at proving herself, especially after Lance's comment, truth be told he really just thought Lilith out there fighting would be really freaking hot.

Lilith stepped into the arena, to face another woman. She looked almost Inuit, with dark skin and braided hair. She wore mostly light blues, with touches of darker blues on her boots and gloves. A Glaceon, perhaps? Lilith was a fusion, and since the public didn't know their true nature and thus nothing about fusions, she had to make sure she used the proper moves. She looked like a Lampent, and could easily hide her tail, so that left Shadow Ball, Heat Wave, and Fire Blast. Limited moves, but she had to make do. The Glaceon moved first, with a Shadow Ball. Lilith countered it with her own Shadow Ball, and the two attacks erupted into a dark, hazy blob. There wasn't much the Glaceon could do against a Fire type, but she did have one trick up her heavily-coated sleeve. She may not have had a tail anymore, but she swirled one arm around in a circular motion, water forming around it. The Aqua "Tail" slammed into Lilith, drenching her. Water was not one of Lilith's favorite things, but she kept on. She pulled her hood down and brushed her soaked hair out of her face, ready to attack. The Aqua Tail had weakened her fire, but that's all she had left.
Lilith's hand and arms began to glow a fiery orange as she threw them out in front of her, creating a pulsing wave of heated air. The Heat Wave slammed into the Glaceon woman, sending her sliding back, cringing from the heat. The woman threw another Shadow Ball at Lilith, that slammed full-force into her. Lilith tumbled back, but was still able to stand. One more attack would do it, either way, so Lilith had to make sure she got the final hit. The Glaceon readied another Aqua Tail, while Lilith got ready for a Fire Blast. The two attacks slammed into each other, creating steam across the arena. When it finally cleared, both women were still barely standing. The Glaceon girl started to step forward for a finishing attack, but collapsed on the ground. The crowd cheered for Lilith, especially loud was one section of kids, presumably her students. Naga grabbed her hand, throwing her arm and his into the air, and shouted along with the crowd. Lilith started to jerk away, but she was enjoying the rush. "That was....exciting!" she said, with a smile. Lancelot was panting at the edge of the ring, sitting down after the beating he had taken. He definitely needed some healing before their next tangle. His breastplate was singed a bit, and his head was throbbing. His vision was slowly clearing up however, so he new he didn't have a concussion.
Naga walked back inside, arm now around Lilith's shoulder. "You know, you're...really an amazing battler. I mean, wow. You crushed your opponent and looked great, doing it." he said to her, smiling. Lilith just blushed and gave him a small grin, back. "Oh. Well, um. Thank you. I hope she's okay, though. I don't really like hurting people." Naga laughed a bit; "Oh, she's fine! Part of the game is enduring a little injury, like any sport. Besides, you wouldn't have entered this tournament at all, if you didn't enjoy it." he said to her, feeling only slightly bad about that laugh. "So um. You. Me. Later. What say we grab some dinner, somewhere?"
"You....you mean like a date?" Lilith said, unsure of what to think. "Exactly like a date." Naga smiled. "I don't think....um...." Lilith fidgeted.
"Okay then, not a date. Just friends having dinner, together."
"Well...if it's strictly platonic..."
"Alright, then! It's a date!" Naga smirked, walking off. "Hey, wait! I said......not...a date...." Lilith sighed.

Vince smiled as he held up the microphone. "Wow! What a match! Well everyone, it's time for the last match of the day. First off, some old vets with one hot blooded new guy! Introducing the tea of Ahti Porter, Bruce Strong, and Smaug!"
Bruce walked out with his team, cracking his knuckles loudly. "And their opponents, a team of mystery. The team of Thanatos, Randy O'Malley, and Sebastian Blackstone!" the team came out, Randy had kept his shirt on despite the whining from Sebastian. He grunted as he looked around, his eyes locking on Ahti. Ahti, ha! Randy knew his real name, the name he was given by his trainer.
Ahti stepped into the arena, and sighed. He had sworn off battling, a long time ago. After that incident with CT, he didn't want to have anything to do with it, anymore. Clem and Kai had both begged him to participate, though, and he figured what the heck. He wasn't getting any younger, and figured it might be worth giving it one last go. "Just hope I haven't lost my touch." he grinned, as he stepped forward. "May the best man win!" he said to his opponent, with a friendly smile.
Randy stared coldly at Ahti with his deep blue eyes. He grinned, this fight might be fun. "Best of luck to you...Gunpowder." he said in his deep voice, ripping his shirt off to reveal his muscled physique. A blue water like aura formed around him. "Show me the strength that took on the Pokémon Leagues and lived, if you can." water formed around his arm as he attempted a Waterfall uppercut.
Ahti blinked, surprised. This guy knew his given name? Ahti barely had time to dodge the uppercut, but it wasn't quite enough to completely avoid the attack. Ahti stood strong, feet firmly planted to the ground. "Who are you?!" he demanded, electricity sparked around his hands.
"You don't recognize me, Gunpowder? How about I refresh your memory? Johto League, Pen, Total party wipeout. Of course, everyone mourned Clementine, everyone cared for Clementine. Clementine was the biggest lost, she was the last one standing. Clementine got an honorable mention by Lance himself, on how brave she was. I did most of the work! I took down many of his team with me! Nobody gave a damn! I had the least amount of training yet I was the most powerful. Not one single picture in Pen's bedroom to remember me." he glared. "I should have stayed in the Lake of Rage, without the use of some incompetent human who took my trust and led it to my death. You even heard my name said and you have to ask me who I am." Randy built up a large water attack in his hands. "Well... here's who I am!" he blasted a cannon spout of scalding hot water at Ahti.
Oh. That Randy. Ahti had never seen Randy as a human, so of course he wasn't immediately recognized. Plus the fact that last time he had head of Randy, he was a little on the dead side. First Clem, now Randy? Who else had been brought back?
"I am sorry you feel that way, Randy! But you were mourned! You all were! Both of our trainers made mistakes, I'll admit that. But you had friends. People who cared about you. Who were sad, after your loss. You don't have to take your anger out on the world, Randy!" Ahti said, bracing for the Scald attack. Ahti had been trained to go up against Water types, and he even knew a variety of Water type attacks, himself. Being a Ground/Poison type, however, he needed a source of water in order to manipulate it. This was a good source, albeit a very, very hot one.
Ahti threw his hands out forward, grimacing as the boiling water burned his hands and arms, the steam hitting his face hurt like hell. He gritted his teeth as he turned the water from the Scald into a wave, creating a Surf. It wouldn't be very effective against Randy, but it at least moved the brunt of the damage away. What Ahti didn't count on, however, was the burns it left him with.
"No need? No need!? How about justice!?" Randy shouted, the water crashing against him.
"You know, Sebastian told me an interesting story when he revived me from the afterlife. He told me of this Ferrovax guy, now called CT Blackstone. Funny right? Two of you changed your names. Guess he came along after I've been rotting in the fucking ground. He fought in the league and nearly killed another Pokémon, and he was going to be put down. Get a load of that shit, right? Tell me, when Lance's Arceus-damned Dragonites wiped us all out, where the hell was the justice? Not one Pokémon reprimanded, and Lance got to keep his cozy position. You say I shouldn't take my anger out on the world? Well here's my answer."
Randy rushed forward at a high speed, using spilled water on the ground to slide at Aht before he could react. His hand shimmered with ice energy as he gripped Ahti's face in a claw hold, lifting him off the ground as the ice energy started to form crystals on Ahti's skin.
"Fuck the world."
Ahti cringed at the Ice attack, the freezing cold not really helping his already-burned skin. Reasoning be damned. This guy obviously wasn't going to listen. Ahti's eyes snapped open, and electricity crackled around his body. "I am usually a nice guy, Randy. But this has to stop!" he shouted, unleashing a powerful Thunderbolt at Randy, causing him to let go of Ahti.
"Ferrovax overcame his rage, and thirst for vengeance!" he said, using the water in the same fashion that Randy did, ice forming around his hand, readying an Ice Punch should he need it. "You both got a second chance at life! Don't waste it, being angry at the world!"
Randy shouted as electricity jolted through his body. He charged at Ahti, only to feel an Ice Punch clock him, knocking him back. He snarled. "Stop me? You won't stop me! I won't die, not again. I refuse!" he built up a vast amount of energy in his open hands, a blue orb forming. "Eat this!" he shouted as he shot a large blue water blast at Ahti. Hydro Pump, one of the most powerful water type moves known to Pokémon.

Sebastian quivered with glee as he watched his strong, half-naked champion fight against the old man. Sebastian new that this would be the perfect test of Randy's strength, fighting one of the most powerful fighters in this tournament. If he couldn't beat this strong but over-the-hill fighter than he might have to search for new muscle.

Smaug watched carefully, arms crossed and tail swishing behind him. He didn't like water at all, even after his training. That left the option of the other two. Sebastian seemed too thin and weak, unworthy of his time and energy. That meant he would take on that last one who hadn't said a word during the entire time the tournament had been going on. Who was he?
Thanatos watched from the sidelines, not saying a word. Naga watched from the other side of the arena, slightly puzzled. "Something's off, about him." he said, to nobody in particular. "You know him?" Lilith chimed in. "Kind of somewhat sort of little bit friend of mine. Hard to really call oneself a friend with the big guy, but as close as one gets, anyway. Something just doesn't feel right. Thanatos wold usually hop right into battle and crush the competition, by now. What's holding him back?"
Sebastian was smiling, gazing upon Randy before glancing at their partner. He let his hand trail down Thanatos' arm as he took a sip of his appletini. "I'm so sorry for forbidding you to fight in this battle, but I can't let a specimen such as yourself get hurt oh, no no no no. At least not until we are ready, that is." he whispered, bringing those fingers to the other man's lips. "Don't speak, we can do that later. In fact you will be very welcome in my abode mmmmmm yes." Thanatos tensed as Sebastian moved his fingers around and grunted, folding his arms. "I can take 'em." he growled in a low, rumbling voice. He was trying to ignore the man's flirting, and focus on the battle. Thanatos didn't really care much about this team, anyway. It was two of the other teams he had a grudge against, particularly CT. He was eager to get a chance to battle with CT, and take him down. If they went up against the kids, though, taking out CT's son would be the next best thing.

The Hydro Pump shot Ahti across the arena, and he stumbled trying to get back up. "Nobody...." he panted. "Is trying to kill you." he said, unable to find the strength to continue. "But if you don't let go of this rage, it will end up being your downfall." he struggled to get back to his feet, holding on to the wall. "I'm done, here. Let's see what you've got, new guy." Ahti said, obviously tired but still managing to give Smaug a weak "go get 'em" grin.
Smaug snorted, smoke blowing from his nose as he did so. He stepped up onto the ring and gave Ahti a glance. "What, you don't think I'm strong enough to beat a fresh opponent, grandpa? I don't need ya softening them up for me." he said, a hint of a smirk at his lips. His tail smashed into the ring floor, the fire at the tip blazing a brilliant red for a second. His hands gripped tightly as his mind went through the possibilities. There was no way this guy could blast that sort of water attack too often.....and even if he could it was a somewhat slow attack. If he could outmaneuver the bigger man he could win this.
He tilted his head to either side, a soft cracking sound being heard as he loosened up. He then gave a glance to Lilith and Naga. "Hey bird brain, watch and learn how a real man fights, and not how some prissy spandex-wearing goofball fights." he hollered, turning his attention back to Randy. A wide grin crossed his face as his body started to glow purple. With speed he launched himself at Randy, using his fists feet and tail in a Dragon Rush attack.
Naga, meanwhile, just grumbled at the man who had punched him, earlier. "It's not spandex, dumbass! They're bellbottoms!" he shouted back, gesturing to his rather loud pants. "You wouldn't know that because you're not cool!" he said, continuing to grumble.

Randy's orders were very clear: wipe them out. He had to wipe the floor with them all, not letting the other guy fight. He crossed his arms, taking the Dragon Rush with his strong body, fueling his anger. He was driven back by the charging Charizard, snarling. "Back off!" he shouted as he generated a large burst of water from his body, pushing back with a Waterfall attack. This was a young punk, but he was a tough young punk. Randy panted, he still had two more enemies standing.
Smaug had been ready for the water, shielding his tail behind his back and taking the blow. He felt himself sliding backwards from the force and it made him grin wider. This was the challenge the street fighter had been looking for, something to test his prowess. He charged forward again, sweeping his black tail at the brute's feet as a Feint as he powered up a glowing white ball. After the sweep he would blast Randy in the face with the Flash Cannon.
Randy growled as he moved away from the Feint. He was hurt, but his senses were still those of a finely tuned league battler, charging up a light blue ball of energy. When he saw the Flash Cannon coming he launched his Dragon Pulse to block it, the two balls of energy erupting in an explosion that knocked Randy back several feet, wincing.
Smaug got rocked backward as well from the explosion, losing his footing for a few moments. Damn, this guy was tough, and faster than expected. How could he have seen that last move coming, and stop it after being hit? He grit his teeth and held his right hand behind him, fingers curling into a dragon-like claw as purple energy emanated from it.
"GO DOWN, DAMMIT!" He cried as he charged again at the large man. Randy snarled, this damn kid was tough, real tough. He couldn't let him get close again. Randy focused his water energy into his hands again. "Get back!" he shouted as he blasted another powerful Hydro Pump at Smaug. Smaug managed to move partially out of the way. Unfortunately, the powerful water burst caught him on one side, spinning him in the air as he was blasted back yet again. He landed on his stomach, feeling weakened as some of that water hit his tail. The flame was flickering weakly as he tried to get back to his feet. "N-Now....you pissed me....off." he said, his voice shaken. Randy glared at the punk. How dare he remain standing! He formed his water energy all around his body, the blue aura flowing like rapids. "Stay down!!" he shouted as he jetted towards Smaug with a final Waterfall charge.
"NOT A CHANCE, ASSHOLE!" Smaug roared back, his whole body glowing purple again. His tail flame seemed to get a flare up as well. He charged towards the brute, spinning as he neared him. His black meaty tail swung like a whip, clobbering Randy in the gut hard enough to send him flying out of the ring. At the same time Smaug caught a big punch powered by Randy's Waterfall to the jaw, sending him flying out of the ring as well. He hit the ground hard, groaning as he felt his body ache and scream out in pain. "Y-You're up old man...." he said softly up at Bruce.

Sebastian seemed speechless for a bit, watching what had transpired. "Oh my.....this is not right, not at all." he said, shaking his head as he stepped into the ring. "I guess it's up to me to finish this cleanly." he added pompously as he took another sip from his appletini. "I am disappointed in you, Randy. A Fire type shouldn't be a problem, even in a tired state."
Randy groaned as his body was smashed against a wall. "Stubborn punk..ugh...just got lucky." he grunted, coughing.

Bruce stepped out, the body he had worked hard on keep flexed and ready. "So, you're this infamous Sebastian Blackstone, hm? Gotta say, I expected much different given our choice of surname. So, mind telling me just who exactly you are before I knock you out?"
"Oh, my! I expected those words to come out of Corpsey-boy's mouth, not yours. However, I shall not disappoint you." Sebastian said, clearing his throat and spreading his arms wide to the crowd. "I am Sebastian Blackstone! Son of the Great Professor Hugo Blackstone!" He shouted, a wide gleeful grin on his face. He slowly moved from his dramatic pose to look at Bruce, speaking softer so that the audience could not hear. "I am the son of your creator, his flesh and blood." Bruce raised an eyebrow at this obvious whackjob. "I got to know the doctor quite well; man never had a son. Then again last I saw him he was not really in a child making mood." he said. "Oh well, hardly matters. You're obviously one big fruit loop so I'll do us all a favor and shut you up. Might want to ditch the drink." he said, charging in. Bruce wasted no time as his aura grew brightly orange as he prepared his Close Combat attack.
Sebastian yawned, not appearing troubled in the slightest. "Did you not notice the field changed as we conversed?" he asked Bruce, the ring having been changed to that of a disco floor. Sebastian smiled as he looked at the older man. As Bruce charged his movements slowed down, and it was easy for Sebastian to side-step the attack. A malevolent aura seemed to emanate from Sebastian's body before shooting out at Bruce.
"I am the son of Doctor Hugo Blackstone. I was created before Corpsey-boy was even thought up in my father's mind. I was created with his own blood! Let me show you the brilliance and power I hold." Bruce struggled as he tried to aim a strong punch at the guy. Arceus damn it, it was like moving through water in weighted clothes. He then got blasted by the aura. It didn't hurt all too bad, but it slid him back a bit. Sebastian grinned, his aura seemingly making his movements more fluid. He laughed as the ring continued to flash lights as if it was a disco floor. "What's the matter, my elderly opponent? Not liking my Trick Room? Mmmmmm yessss it makes things harder, doesn't it? You who pride yourself in your speed and rely upon it are now doomed because of that very same strength." He cackled, drink still in his hand as he danced around the other man. His hand started to glow an eerie dark indigo, forming into a small ball that he hurled without too much effort at Bruce. He winced when he was pelted by the attack. Bruce was very tough, but he was going nowhere fast if he couldn't even land a hit. Trick Room, of course. A move Bruce had never had to face before. Trying to get the jump on Sebastian, he sprung towards him with a punch.
Sebastian's laugh echoed across the ring as he seemed to easily evade Bruce's slow punch, another ball on condensed ghostly hatred appearing in his hand. He tossed it at the older man's back as he slid further out of his reach. "It's admirable that you haven't just given up yet, but you cannot win. Your body is much too slow to try to beat me, right now. Face it, you cannot beat my father's perfect creation, his heir, his son!" he said, eyes glinting evilly as yet another glow emanated from him. No, it wasn't a glow, but an absence of light itself. "Tell Corpsey-boy what happened here when you see him. Tell him his betters are around and he should watch his step in this tournament." he said is a sinister tone, but with the same friendly grin on his face. He then dashed towards Bruce with astonishing speed, the Night Slash in his hand ready to strike. Bruce grimaced. "I'll give him your message..after I knock you out!" he shouted. He was slowed down but this man was coming straight for him. Bruce glowed with an orange aura, launching his fist right at Sebastian's face.
Sebastian's grin widened as he saw the fist, stopping right in front of Bruce. The orange-glowing fist passed right through Sebastian's face, his head turning into the same color essence as his aura before it reshaped back to normal. "Boo." he whispered to the older man before stabbing him in the chest with his Night Slash. Bruce's eyes widened. He was stabbed, he felt it. He coughed up a spurt of blood before falling to the ground, emergency medics rushing to his aid.
As Bruce fell to the ground the ring went back to normal, the aura around Sebastian fading into nothingness. He finished up his appletini as he left the ring, going up to Thanatos. "Would you be a dear and get me a refill? That made me rather thirsty. Mmmmmm yes." he said in a playful tone. "Come Randy, we need to get you patched up so you can be ready for tomorrow." Thanatos gave Sebastian a snort, as he jerked the glass out of his hand and stomped off, not saying a word.

Smaug couldn't believe what had transpired. That fruity twig of a man had beaten a hardy true and tested fighter like he was nothing! He looked over to Ahti, the other old man. "What the hell just happened? They didn't even need their third fighter! Who are these guys?"
Ahti leaned on the wall, stunned and concerned about Bruce. "I don't know about that one, but Randy was an old teammate during the Johto league. He died, along with Clementine and the rest of the team. That man, Blackstone....he found a way to bring them back." he let out a heavy sigh. They were not only strong, but ruthless. He was concerned about their next opponents. What if the kids went up against them? "Their third battler....thank Arceus he didn't fight. I've only encountered him once, but he wouldn't have held back." he said, in a worried tone, as he followed the medics. Bruce was loaded onto a stretcher. "No cuts visible, it must be internal injuries." a medic said as they took him away.
Musashi hopped down and headed straight for Ahti. "That man, that was Randy." Musashi said, not asking. "I know that behavior, that fighting style. How many more of my fallen comrades am I going to see brought back to life before my own ends?"
"Well that would explain why the bastard refused to drop.....being a dead man." Smaug said, chuckling until he grabbed his side. "Shit. I'm going to be sore in the morning. Too bad we won't get to move on huh, grandpa?" he asked Ahti, slowly getting to his feet. His tail flame seemed weak, but wasn't too dim. "So.....what is with that silent dude? You said that he was bad news, but he seemed.....passive to me."
"Randy seems too far gone, to reason with. Blackstone also never had a son, to my knowledge." Ahti sighed "And last I saw of Thanatos, he was eager to not only fight, but to kill. Something about this is off, and I don't like it."
"I agree." Naga said, standing next to the group. "Granted I have no idea what you guys are talking about, but I at least know Thanny well enough to notice when something is off. And sheesh, aren't they a little, I dunno, rough, for this tournament? Shouldn't that last hit have been a disqualification or something?"
"It should have been, it's like he meant to kill." Musashi said. " I don't know, Ahti; Something seems very off, and it has me on edge." They all headed to the hospital wing where Bruce was set up. Bruce smiled softly at them all, an oxygen mask over his mouth to help him breathe. His injuries weren't lethal, but at his age they certainly would have him laying down for a while. He looked at Ahti. "Guess you just...can't beat time eh? Time always hits super effectively."

 

Smaug groaned as Naga rolled up, shaking his head as he followed Musashi and Ahti. What was he doing, coming over and chatting about things he knew little about? "If you can't deal with lethal fighting, then you're not a true warrior. Try fighting in the street sometimes, there are no rules." he said as he glanced at Naga. "By the way bird brain, the 60's called and they want their style back." he added before heading to the hospital with the others.
"Age never really effected us much before the change, huh? I guess this is one of the downsides to this new life." he said after hearing Bruce's words. "Before this, age never really stopped us from battling. In fact, the longer we lived the more experience we gained and the more effective we were in a fight. Now.....well....now time comes knocking."
Ahti gave them both a weak smile. "So it does." he said, clapping a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "That team was also strong and ruthless, though. What bothers me most, is that the kids are still in the tournament. God, what if they face the kids?"

Shade and Glade were at Nico's hospital room, hoping that he would be okay. "I feel like this is my fault for some reason...Here, I know that this might be awkward, but it's the least I can do..." Glade said to him as he lied on the bed next to Nico and placed his head on his chest, which would warm him up at least a bit, thanks to the flame on Glade's head."
"Uhh.... Nevemind. Here, eat some of this, it will make you feel better." Glade said to him as he gave him some berries and placed them on the table next to him.
Nico blushed a little, at Glade. "N-no, it's....it's fine. Your uh.....f-flame is...nice and warm...." there was a long pause, before Nico finally spoke up again. "Wow, that sounded really weird, didn't it?"
"It's not any one person's fault." CT said, bringing Nico a hot cup of tea. "You all conspired in this, together, without knowing what you were getting yourselves into." he sighed, setting the tea on the table next to Nico. "However," he continued. "If you really want to enter in battles like this, I suggest you get some more training. Your brother and I think it's best if you enroll in one of Musashi's classes. It will better prepare you, for something like this. It wouldn't hurt for you to train a little more, emotionally, either." CT said, glancing at Nico. "I know you're strong, Nicky, but you let your fear get the better of you. You might not be facing us or Lilith, in the next round. God, if something happened to you..."
Nico sipped at his tea, and interrupted CT's sentence. "Nothing's gonna happen, Dad. I'm okay, right? Just a little chilled. I'll be fine." he said, giving his dad a small smile. "Besides, everybody's probably too afraid to hurt me, because they know you'll kick their butts." CT gave Nico a light chuckle, and ruffled his hair. "Let's hope so, Nick."
Shade nodded his head in agreement with CT. "Carrot Top is right; I think it would be a good idea if you and Nico go there to train, for self-defense reasons. I mean, this has been your first time fighting against these people, and I know that with enough time and effort, you would be blowing through these guys like dust on antique furniture. Besides, it will give you more time to be around him." Glade responded to him by saying, "You're right. I can't really abuse my powers forever; I need to learn how to fight 'properly' by punching and kicking and stuff."
"Well, they can help you with your powers as well, but that wouldn't hurt either."
CT only seemed mildly annoyed, at Shade. People had been making up names for him for years now, and he had gotten somewhat used to it. There were more important things on his mind, anyway. "Let's focus on that later, shall we?" he said, with a sigh. "There was a team out there, earlier. I didn't see them, since I was back here with you. Going by what Ahti and the other teammate told me, and Bruce's injuries, they're not ones to be taken lightly. They're ruthless, and I'm sure they'll have no issues with battling a team of children."
"We're not little kids, Dad. We can handle it." Nico protested. "I know you're not little, anymore. But you're still very young and inexperienced. And I certainly don't want you anywhere near Thanatos." CT said, firmly. "Who?" Nico asked, not remembering the man who had kidnapped and tried to kill him, all those years ago. "A very dangerous person. From the looks and sounds of it, they're all very dangerous. I know you both want to prove yourselves, but don't push it. There's no shame in forfeiting, if it means your lives are in danger, otherwise." Nico seemed mildly annoyed, but sighed and nodded his head. "We don't even know who our next opponents are, anyway."
"I know. I just want you to be prepared, in any case."

Clementine wasn't with the other children, she had run off to cling to Ahti. Her tail didn't wag as she hugged his arm, worried about how hurt he was, against the mean water using man. Bruce let out a weak chuckle. "I think the children are as worried about us as we are for them. It will be all right, I trust them." he patted Clem's head and looked at her. "Clementine, you're the oldest. I need you to promise me something, if you face those men you have to be careful. They are dangerous and care little about your safety. If things look too dangerous, you have to throw the towel for your team, no matter how either of the boys may protest, got it?" Clementine nodded. "Good, you have to be a responsible big sister for them."
Smaug snorted at Bruce's statement to Clementine, even as a nurse patched him up. "Normally I'd say that was full of crap and you should fight such people, but after seeing what that prissy boy fop did to ya...I have to agree. Those guys are brutal, and we didn't even witness that last guy fight. For all we know he's the worst of the bunch." Smaug never thought he'd be associating with this many people at this tournament, but with the situation as it was, he felt it'd be best to stick with them in the face of guys like the mystery team.
Ahti patted Clem on the shoulder. "I'm sure they'll do just fine. Part of me just can't help but be a little worried." he sighed. Clem had been a battler herself, in the Johto League. She had also taken on villains, before. She was a strong competitor, and he trusted her, but he still would rather them not face those men.

Lilith was waiting in Lance's room, as he didn't seem to have anybody else there. She couldn't leave him all alone. Naga burst through the door, loudly. "So! Hey. How ya doin, buggy boy? Yeah, you're fine. You gotta battle, tomorrow. Ya can't leave me hangin'." he said, leaning next to Lilith, who had a rather annoyed look directed at him. "Been looking all over, for you." he said, to Lilith. "So, everybody seems occupied...what say we go out on a totally-not-a-date and have some fun?" Lilith nudged away from him, still looking mildly annoyed that he would come barging in like that. "I don't know. I don't really want to leave him here, alone. I know what it's like, to feel alone..."
"I will be ready for battle, tomorrow; do not worry yourself." Lance said to Naga, the handsome man not wearing his helm or breastplate at the moment. This allowed his flowing blonde locks free down his back. He smiled at Lilith and addressed her. "Your concern is touching, m'lady, but I am fine." he said, though her annoyance and discomfort with Naga seemed obvious. "However, I could always use the company. I have not spoken to many people in my travels, especially after the change." Lilith smiled at Lance, while Naga just gave him an annoyed look. "Alright then, I'll stay here, too." he said, crossing his arms and plopping in a chair. "Um, you don't really have to." Lilith said.
Musashi had left the room after he saw Bruce was ok, heading over to Lilith. "Hey Lilith, you mentioned a dinner to me before. I'm feeling hungry so are we going to head out for that?" he examined her team, his eyes narrowed quickly when he glanced over Naga. "Will your team be coming as well?"
Lancelot looked up at the new person who came in. This was an interesting day that was for sure. Guys seemed to flock around Lilith, and even though she was a sweet girl, he still didn't understand why. One did not need to date a lady or stay around her all day to make sure she was safe and protected.
"Wait, wait." Naga interrupted. "You'll go on a date with him, but won't even give me a chance?" he said, more hurt than angry. "Wow, you really know how to reject a guy." Lilith fidgeted for a moment, and sighed. "I suppose you can come along, if it's okay with Musashi. Lance too, if he's feeling up to it." she said, smiling at her other teammate. "Oh, great. Let's just make it a double date, why don't we? Not exactly what I had in mind, but a date's a date I guess." Naga said, sarcastically. Lancelot thought about that for a moment. A double-date, a time where four people hang out and get to know each other better. Yes, that would be appropriate, especially to get to know his team better. He nodded and looked at Naga. "Alright, let's do it. A double-date, it is." he said, getting to his feet.
Naga blinked at him, surprised. "Wait.....what?"

 

The night came and went. The next day, Vince stood in the arena.
"Welcome to the semi-finals! We have two prime match-ups for you people today. If you thought things were heated before, we have four teams, most of which conquered our very own sponsored teams! First up, the team of Lilith, Naga, and Lancelot against the powerful team of CT, Musashi, and Shade!"

Musashi looked into the arena, speaking to CT. "I want to face Lilith, if I can. Consider it the urge of a teacher to witness his student's progress." CT just nudged Musashi, giving him a smirk. "Are you sure that's the only urge, you have?" he said, grinning. "Looks like she's up, anyway. Go get 'em."
Lilith stepped out into the arena, first. She didn't like hurting people, and especially wouldn't like hurting her friends. Naga, on the other hand, owed Musashi. First, for beating him in the first tournament, and second, for stealing his date. He still wasn't happy, about that one.
Musashi leered at CT before heading out. "Hello, Lilith. Seems I get to see how you've progressed, first hand." he drew his blades, flipping them. He decided he didn't want his fear of seriously harming her impeding his effort, so using the back side of the blades would be called for. "Come, don't hold back. Show me what you got." he took a stance. Lilith fidgeted a little, not particularly wanting to fight against Musashi. At the same time, he didn't want her to hold back. She wasn't the best physical battler, but if she used Thunder Punch, she would give away her identity as a fusion. Shadow Ball it was, then. Musashi dodged out of the way of the Shadow Ball. She was holding back, what for? "Come on Lilith, you can do better than that." he said, sending an Air Slash at her. "I don't want to hurt you!" Lilith said, trying to dodge the Air Slash. She wasn't the fastest battler on the field, and still took a bit of the damage. The crowd might not have known it, but she was still half Fighting-type. That hurt.

"Come on! If you want, I can kick his ass for you! I'll be more than happy to!" Naga yelled, from the sidelines. Lilith just huffed the hair dangling in her face, and her hands began to glow with a heated aura, as she got an attack ready to send to Musashi. "I'm sorry!" she said, sending the Heat Wave in his direction.
Musashi brought his blades to block the wave, blasting Air Slashes to make a sort of hole in the attack. He cringed when his arms got singed from the heat. Lilith was holding back. Well, guess he had to force her hand. His blades glowed green as he charged. "Come on Lilith, stay sharp." he said as he attacked with his X-Scissor. The X-Scissor hit Lilith, but didn't seem to do much damage to her. Why did he use X-Scissor? All that talk about not holding back, and he used a move that didn't do much more than tickle her.
"Oh gaaaaaahd they're getting nowhere." Naga groaned, watching the fight. "For chrissake, just tag me! It'll be a lot faster!" he shouted, to Lilith. "Shush! I....I can do this!" Lilith shouted, back. "I...I think." she whimpered, readying a Fire Blast. "I'm sorry, again!" she said, closing her eyes as she threw the blast of fire at Musashi. The Fire Blast hit Musashi dead on, or so it seemed. Musashi had vanished with several Double Teams forming. Musashi sent a flurry of Air Slashes at Lilith. "Come on Lilith, you have to stay on your toes now, don't hold back."
Lilith tried blasting the Air Slashes away with a Shadow Ball, but still managed to take a couple hits. She fell on her knees, weak from the attacks. "I don't want to hurt you...." she said, softly. "I've seen what's happened to people, in this tournament. I don't want to do that, to you!" she struggled to get back to her feet. She was weak, but not entirely out. She didn't want to keep battling, though. She would sooner quit, than hurt a friend.
"I'm done." she said, gently placing a hand on Naga's shoulder, tagging him. "Please don't hurt him." she said, leaning on Lance. "About time!" Naga shouted, running out into the arena. Musashi sighed. Lilith was too gentle a girl to be a part in something like this. He owed it to her to win this so she didn't have to compete against anyone else. He glared at Naga, giving him no time to think before he had sent a volley of Air Slashes at him.
"Woo! Now that's what I'm talking about! No more face-slapping! Time for a real battle!" Naga said, dodging some of the Air Slashes and sending a Stone Edge into others. This time, he wasn't going to let his guard down. His teammate and his opponent both seemed...distracted, though. Payback's a bitch, it seems. "Hey, Mu-Mu. Were you even trying to battle Lil, or were you just checkin' out that ass?" Naga said, smirking, fire forming in his hands. Musashi's face went red when Naga spoke, becoming flustered. "I, what? No, I was battling. I was testing her."
"Oh, sure. Using a Bug type move against a Ghost and Fire type was soooo testing her." Naga snarked, the flames in his hands growing brighter. "Looked to me like your mind was less on battling, and more on...something else." he smirked, readying a Fire Blast while Musashi was flustered. "Hey, Mu-Mu. Don't let your guard down!" he shouted, finally throwing the Fire Blast at Musashi. "That wasn't my-" Musashi's protest was interrupted by a blast of fire, sending him flying back. He groaned as he tried to get back up. "..plan."
"Sure, it wasn't. The fact she's resistant to Bug, never occurred to you?" Naga said, readying another attack. He glanced back at Lilith, who had pleaded with him not to hurt Musashi. This was a tournament battle, though. Musashi didn't give up that easily; Naga learned that the hard way, last time. On the other hand, Lilith would probably hate him forever, if he landed a hit while Musashi was already down.
"I'm in a dilemma, here. So here's the deal. I owe you for the last tournament, but Lilly over there said not to hurt you. Tag out, I win, you don't get blasted by rocks, and Lilly's happy. Everybody wins. Deal?"
Musashi glared at Naga. The very nerve of this guy to demand him to just up and quit, was insulting. His body was singed and hurting. One Stone Edge and he would be out. He took a look at Lilith, a worried look on her face. He sighed and tagged CT. "I'm out."
Lancelot starred daggers into Naga's back. Such language he was using, that insolence and disrespect brought dishonor upon him as a man and a fighter. Lancelot was not pleased, glaring at Naga as he braced Lilith. "Stop dishonoring yourself and fight like a man, Naga! No more insults, no more talk that's reserved for brothels! Mouth shut and fight!" he shouted, eyes narrowed.
Naga made a motion with his hands, suggesting Lance was the one who needed to hush. "Blah, blah, blah. You fight with honor, I fight with snark. To hell, with honor. It's not nearly as much fun." Naga said back to Lance, annoyed that he was trying to tell him how to battle.
CT rolled his eyes, and stepped into the arena. He didn't like Naga. He really, really didn't like Naga. Part of it was because he was Elvis' creation, another part was because he was just so blasted annoying. "Do you ever stop talking?" CT groaned. "Come to think of it, no. I actually don't!" he quipped, before rushing toward CT, starting to glow a faint orange aura. Right. He was a Fighting type, and CT had seen this move, before. He was definitely at a disadvantage, but from what he had seen of Naga, he was more about countering and distraction than actual attack. Avoiding hits might mean his defense wasn't all that great.
Naga was fast. CT was also fast, and quickly sidestepped to avoid the Hi Jump Kick, causing Naga to miss and stumble. "Oh, you suck!" Naga said, getting back up, but with a slight limp. "Funny thing about that move. It does a lot of damage, when it actually hits. Miss, and you're the one who takes the damage." CT smirked. "Ugh. No wonder Elvis didn't like you. You're no fun, y'know that?" Naga said, limping away from CT. He was a Dark type, putting him at a major disadvantage. He was also damned good, though. Hi Jump Kick would definitely knock him for a loop, but if he dodged it again, it could put Naga out of the fight. He was already hurting, and couldn't risk another one. "Y'know what you need? Rocks. Rocks are fun." he said, two crisscrosses of stone forming around him, as he prepared a Stone Edge. "You're really starting to test my patience." CT said, orange orbs forming in his hands. Stone Edge was a powerful attack, but CT's Focus Blast was able to blast away most of the stones, though he was still hit by a few stray rocks.
Naga's speed was his biggest advantage, but with that injury from the Hi Jump Kick, there wasn't much he could do. Fire was ineffective, and he wouldn't be able to get to CT fast enough to land a physical attack, without CT blasting him back. Naga also had another strategy, for situations like these. Fire Blast, then. The huge blast of fire was thrown, completely missing CT but also kicking up dust and creating a cloud of smoke. "Is that really the best you can do?" CT said, almost bored. "Not by a long shot." Naga's voice rang, seemingly from behind CT. It was hard to tell where Naga was, through all the smoke. CT's thought process came to an abrupt halt, as a sudden pain slammed him in the back of the head. Naga might not could make another Hi Jump Kick, but he could certainly use Crush Claw. He threw CT forward, and readied another Stone Edge. That Crush Claw hurt. Bad. CT's head was throbbing and spinning, but he still managed to stumble back to his feet. "Okay. I'll admit. You're good." CT panted, trying to work up a Focus Blast. His head hurt, too bad. That's why Naga went for the head, then. Focus Blast countered Stone Edge, to he had to waver his focus. Damn, underneath all the snark and childish behavior, the guy actually seemed to know what he was doing.
The Stone Edge pelted CT, but he still wasn't out just yet. "You just don't give up, do you?" Naga quipped. CT growled, as his hands began to form a bright blue orb between them. "Not by a long shot." he snarled, throwing the Dragon Pulse right at Naga, finishing him off. "Ow...." Naga mumbled, unable to get back to his feet. "Oh, shut up." CT growled.

Lancelot sighed deeply, seeing just where Naga's snark got him. Now he would have to face two of the three fighters. Just because CT was hurt, did not mean he was out of the fight. Lancelot prodded Naga in the rump with his spear, looking him in the eye. "Tag....please." he said softly, pulling back the spear to reach out his hand.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Naga grumbled, grabbing Lance's hand as he got up. "Tag, you're it." he grumbled, limping back to the sidelines. "Hey uh....what I said back there..." he said, noting the blushing Lilith. "I was just trying to get him riled up. I didn't...uh...y'know. Mean to embarrass you, or anything...my mouth usually goes before my brain, so uh.." Naga fidgeted. He was good with sarcasm, but not usually apologies. "I guess what I mean is, I'm sorry." he shrugged. Lilith said nothing for a while, but finally spoke, softly. "It...it's okay. You were trying not to hurt him."
"But in turn, I hurt you. S'okay if you hate me. I deserve it." Lilith said nothing more about it, trying to watch the rest of the battle. "You should um...get some ice on that..." she said, referring to her teammate's injury.

CT stood before Lance, unsure if he'd be able to do much. He was weak, and this was a Bug type. His head was still throbbing from that Crush Claw, and his attacks may not be at full strength. Lance looked to be an Escavalier, though. Bug and Steel. A Flamethrower would weaken him, but he's dealt with these before. It would do damage, but may not totally take him out. It was his best defense though, so a stream of flames danced around in both of his hands as he got ready to send a Flamethrower, at his opponent.
Lancelot waited for his opponent to make a move; not doing so would have been dishonorable, after all. When he saw the gout of flame come out he tucked and rolled to his right, his body shining again with Iron Defense. There wasn't much he could do without seriously hurting this man, so he decided to take the advantage and raise his defense a few times. "You do not have to continue Sir. You can withdraw and I then I do not have to add more injuries to your person." CT just growled, readying another Flamethrower. Give up? No, way. CT only called it quits, when he was completely unable to continue. He still had a little fire left in him, so might as well keep going. "If you didn't want to fight," he said, throwing another wave of flames at Lance. "You shouldn't have entered this tournament."
With surprising agility, Lancelot leaped over the gout of flame, over to the left. As his feet hit the ground, he lunged at CT, his spear glowing bright green with a Megahorn. "I do not back down, I merely wish to allow weakened opponents to retreat!" he replied as he thrust the spear at CT. CT growled, the fire in his hands burning brighter. "I do not retreat, when I'm fully capable of fighting on!" he shouted, meeting Lance's Megahorn with another Flamethrower, in an attempt to counter it. The Flamethrower may have weakened the blow, but that was a powerful move, and one that CT was weak to. He still took the hit, and struggled to get back to his feet. He started to push on, but one thought ran through his mind. What he told Nico, earlier, about knowing his limits. If Nico saw CT push himself to the very limit, he would do the same. "Good game." CT panted, in obvious pain. "I'm through, here." he said, tagging Shade.
Lancelot gripped his right arm, the flames having burned it and weakened his spear. He winced at the pain and backed up, nodding to CT. He then prepared himself as his next opponent came up to the ring. Shade flipped onto the ring seeing Lance was already weakened by CT's Flamethrower. He figured that it wouldn't hurt to make the pain worse, and decided to use his Flamethrower on him. Just because his right arm was burnt, did not mean he was out. Lancelot rolled away from the Flamethrower, switching the spear to his off hand. He spun the spear around his body in his Sword's Dance routine to up his attack, making sure not to take his eyes off of his new opponent. Another type with fire, just his luck. Shade applauded his opponent's "dance". Shade responded with a Shadow Ball, and saying to him, "Have you considered a carreer in choreography?"
Lancelot was focused, and he wasn't going to let foolishly lame insults distract him. Green glow enveloped his spear as he threw it, the weapon soaring through the air to smash into the Shadow Ball, heading straight at Shade. Meanwhile Lancelot was using this as a distraction to run at Shade from the opposite direction, head lowered to use his Iron Head move. Shade dodged the spear that was heading towards him, but right after he dodged it, he was tabled from his opponent's Iron Head. After crashing on the ground, he said to him, "So that's why you were twirling. Of course..." Shade needed to take him out quick, and the only way to do it is with Flamethrower. Having lost his spear, Lancelot had fewer options at his disposal. He decided to launch a standard punch out at Shade's face. Few Pokémon would expect such a thing. Shade simply giggled as Lance tried punching him in the face, only to go through him; physical punches by regular humans and Pokepeople aren't any good for most Ghost types. "You're not exactly fighting fair now, you know." he told him ad he noticed Lance was getting desperate. Shade then proceeded to launch a close-quarters Shadow Ball at his opponent.
Lancelot couldn't believe how inexperienced and naive this fighter was. He had seen the damage CT's Flamethrower did when it grazed him, and yet he only tried a fire move once, and was using Ghost moves more often. Ghost was one of the many types Lancelot was resistant to being an Excavalier, a Bug and Steel type. The only thing he feared was fire, and he knew this fighter had fire. However, it seemed that the man hadn't figured things out yet. He took the Shadow Ball to the chest, barely flinching as he headbutted Shade with yet another Iron Head. At this point, Shade wasn't feeling good after the Iron Head; luckily, he had a stradegy: Shadow Ball lowered Special Defenses. He knew that the chances of winning would be higher, and the only thing he could do was give him one more Flamethrower, or else one more attack from Lance would surely end it for his team. Lancelot couldn't dodge in time, the Flamethrower enveloping his torso and other arm as he lurched backward. He fell to the ground, badly hurt. "I concede." he said, wincing and clutching his chest.

Vince rang the bell. "All right! That was amazing. Wonderful all around!"

Musashi groaned as he rubbed his head. "That was tough facing them." he said. "However, we have still to face, wait." his eyes widened in fear. He grabbed CT by the collar. "CT, the children. They face the other team!" CT did not like being tugged like that, and jerked back, straightening his collar and jacket. "You think I didn't realize that, as soon as they called out our team?" he snapped. "We've all told them what to do, if it gets too bad. There's nothing more we can do." CT sighed, watching the teams enter the battlefield. On one hand, he was terrified and wanted to just drag Nico back home. On the other hand, Nico would probably never forgive him for not even giving him a chance. Besides, if anything happened to Nico, CT would have the chance to kick the other team's asses, in the finals.
Naga seemed just as upset, on the other side. "Hey! They can't do that! They can't beat up kids!" he growled, Lilith struggling to hold him back. Why was he getting so worked up, about those kids? "They'll be okay! I trust them. They won't push themselves." Lilith said, trying to calm him down. Naga narrowed his eyes, as Thanatos stepped into the arena. "Oh, he is so getting his ass kicked, after this tournament!"

Facing Thanatos was Nico. Nico didn't know who this person was, but there was a slight familiarity. Had they met, before? Thanatos just glared at Nico, fists clenching. Thanatos' body become covered in a dark reddish-purple aura, and he made the first move. Nico dodged the first couple of swings from Thanatos' arm blades, but took several others, as his opponent continued to rage. Nico tried dodging others, while also trying to work up his own attack. Outrage was a very powerful Dragon type move, so why did it feel so weak? He didn't have many moves that would be effective against a Dragon type, so he worked up the best move he could.
Nico's hands began to form a dark aura around them, getting ready to throw a Dark Pulse as soon as he had the opportunity. Thanatos continued to swing his sharp blades at Nico, making sure Nico wasn't able to get a hit. His aura grew brighter, as he threw one final punch at Nico, sending him back, before the aura finally faded away. He stepped back, not appearing to be as confused as somebody who had just used Outrage should be. Nico stumbled back to his feet, all that punch seemed to have done was knock the wind out of him. Was he really that strong, or was his opponent just weaker than the other two?
Nico finally had distance enough to attack with his Dark Pulse, and it didn't seem like Thanatos could avoid it. As the attack went straight for him, he threw his hands forward and the Dark Pulse slammed against a transparent-blue wall of energy: Protect. Thanatos narrowed his eyes at Nico, who seemed surprised. He didn't want to give up. He wanted to keep battling, to take down that damned kid. Not yet, though. Thanatos stepped back, tagging Sebastian. "All yours." he growled, giving him a slight smirk.
Sebastian entered the ring with a smile, giving Thanatos' rump a smack that was almost a grope. He then brushed the white part of his hair out of his face. "Well well, little Nicodemus, it is a pleasure to meet you." he said in a smarmy tone. "Mmmmmm yesss this will be fun." he added, swirling an appletini in his hand. His other hand was placed upon his waist as he gazed at Nico, as if waiting for the young man to make the first move.
Nico blinked at the man, unsure of what to do. "Do I know you?" he said, puzzled. He stood for a moment, and when his opponent didn't seem to move, electricity began to spark across his body. "Okay, then." he said, making the first move with a Charge Beam. His opponent looked to be a Ghost type. Nico's Dark Pulse would have been just fine, but instead he went with a weaker attack.

"He's learning." CT said, trying to smile. The smile was masking his worry, so it wasn't entirely a sincere one. CT had taught him a lot about strategy, and to never underestimate his opponents. Nico had picked up Charge Beam, which raised non-physical attacks, while also inflicting damage. If Nico used Charge Beam enough, even though it might not do much damage, he could work up enough energy to throw one very powered up Dark Pulse at his opponent.

"Ooooooo that's an interesting trick." Sebastian said as the lightning struck out at him. He side-stepped it as his Ominous Wind enveloped his body as well as lanced outward at Nico. "You wish to make me dance is that it? Tut tut. You could have asked, little one." he said teasingly, giggling a bit. "Mmmmmm yessss give it to me." Nico stood firmly in place, taking the Ominous Wind attack. Ghost moves weren't effective against Nico, but he still felt it. This guy was strong, really strong. He wasn't going to just give up, though. "You asked for it, then." Nico said, throwing another Charge Beam at him. He had a smirk that almost resembled that of his father's. Sebastian let out a sound that sounded like a purr as he let the lightning strike him this time. He then moved swiftly, seemingly unhurt by the attack as he tossed a Shadow Ball at Nico. He wanted to play this game, then Sebastian was more then happy to do so. "Come now, little one. Surely you have a better attack than that." he teased, still holding onto his appletini. The Shadow Ball slammed into Nico, but it was still an ineffective move. Nico slid backwards, but his focus never wavered. Enough with the Charge Beam. It didn't seem to bother him, anyway. He got what he needed from it, and it was time to get serious. A dark aura enveloped his hands, purple-black orbs forming between them. "Sure do." Nico smirked, throwing a charged-up Dark Pulse at Sebastian.
Sebastian's smarmy smile changed to a creepy smirk as he saw the move coming. Yes! That was it! This was the time to show everyone the true power of the Blackstone lineage. "Watch and learn little one!" he shouted, his free hand lifting up in front of him. Air swirled around his arm, snowflakes appearing as well as he powered up his attack. He felt the dark energy hit him, and he let out a moan of pleasure as it hurt him, and yet it invigorated his very soul. "Such power! I love this feeling!" he shouted, launching an Icy Wind at Nico immediately after the Dark Pulse hit him.
Nico's eyes widened as the Icy Wind headed straight for him. He didn't have much time to react, and scrambled to work up a Fire Blast. The attack still hit him, causing him to fall to his knees. The wall of fire weakened the attack, however, else it could have well been fatal.
The fire and ice caused steam to hover around Nico, as he shivered from the Icy Wind attack. Nico stood, shaking, fumbling to start another attack.
"Don't do it...." CT said to himself, quietly, as he watched his son try to continue. "Don't push it, Nicky." What was going on with Nick, anyway? He seemed...different. CT supposed Nico was right, earlier. He wasn't a little kid, anymore. He was growing up, and CT had to accept that. Eventually.
Nico hesitated for a moment, before finally backing down. He was still shivering; there was no way he could win this. "I'm...I'm out, Glade. Y-you're up." he said, tagging Glade and heading back to the sidelines.
Sebastian's grin faded back to a smarmy smil. As he watched the next lad get tagged in, he sipped his appletini. "Mmmmmm yesssss. I think it's time for a break. Oh, Randy!" he called, waving to Randy as he turned and headed back to his team. "Go out there and show that boy how a man fights, please." As he passed Randy he gave the larger man's rump a swat. "Go get him, tiger!" he said before giggling hysterically. His free hand caressed Thanatos' chest as he took his spot beside him, sipping on his drink again.
"Good job out there." Glade said to Nico, recognizing that he has now gotten used to battling out there, and, in a way, so has he himself, as well. He turned to Nico, and told him, "Listen, if you think I'm in any sort of danger, forfeit; there's no shame in losing now, and if anything, we can at least leave this place knowing that we did pretty well in this for our first time fighting." He finished, turning to walk out into the field.

Glade immediately gave Randy an Inferno as his first attack. Randy stared at the little brat who just hit him with fire. The flames swept off his skin as if it were a gentle summer breeze. He glared at the kid. "Really? What a waste." he growled as he blasted a large jet of water at Glade.
"Uh-Oh." The only word Glade said before he got drenched by Randy. After taking the hit, he knew that the only non-fire moves that he had were Hex and Memento, the latter of which would be his last ditch effort. Out of impulse, he used Hex so he could at least try to stand a chance against the Water-type. Randy growled as he shrugged off the boy's attack. He was still standing? That fact alone angered Randy more. "Stay down, brat!" he roared as his cloaked his body in a raging rapids, charging into the boy with his Waterfall attack. Glade was now completely drenched, and wasn't feeling good. The flame on his head was extinguished, and he couldn't go on; he staggered onto the side of the rings, and all he said to Clem was, "All yours..." before he fainted out of the ring, and was caught by Nico.
Clem walked up, shivering under the stare of Randy. Her tail tucked under her legs, resisting the urge to let her knees buckle. Randy stared at her. "Clementine. You've changed too much. You're not who you used to be, it's disgraceful. Forfeit now, or else I will wipe you out of my sight." he said, building up his energy. Clem thought, her kind heart racing. She could use Assist, maybe get the Charge Beam from Nico. Maybe she could win, or fight well like the other two. She then remembered what Bruce said. An inner fear filled her and she felt ashamed when her voice stuttered out. "I...I forfeit." she whined, walking away with her head down.
Vince grabbed a mic "Well, guess Teen Spirit just wasn't enough today. Everyone give these kids a good round of applause for making it so far. Tomorrow is the finals, everybody. I hope the teams get a good night's rest, and good fight tomorrow!"

Clem went running and clung to Ahti, sniffling. "Daddy I...I was so scared. That man k-knew me, he said he knew me. I, I didn't even fight I." she started to cry, her young body convulsing. Ahti embraced Clementine in a tight hug, comforting her. "It's okay. It's okay, Clem. You did the right thing. He won't hurt you. I won't let him."
Nico was barely able to stand himself, but held on to Glade. "You fought well." CT said, stepping up next to the kids. "I lost." Nico pouted. "You can't win every time." CT replied. Nico didn't say anything, for a while. "I just wanted to prove to you that I could handle myself, that you didn't have to always worry about me." CT just smiled at him, and set a hand on his shoulder. "Nick, I would have been even more worried, had you continued. I'm your father. Win or lose, I'm going to worry about you, regardless."
Smaug waled up to Nico and CT, the tall rough-looking man nodded as if he was thinking about something. "You showed a lot of talent out there. That...man had your number, though. Who would have thought that guy had an icy ace up his sleeve, huh?" he said, eyes narrowing as he peered at Sebastian, the man leaving with his team. "The girl did the right thing." he called over to Ahti and Clem. "The thin man seemed to be in a good mood, toying with this boy here. That big guy however.....he doesn't play around." Smaug cracked his neck, still feeling sore from the water boarding he had taken the day before. He then looked between CT and Ahti. "How's the other old man holding up?"
"I don't think he'll be making the match, tomorrow. But it could have been worse. A lot worse." Ahti replied, still holding Clem close. Nico just pouted at Smaug. "I could've handled it." Nico grumbled. "I could have used a better wall of fire, or countered it better, or something."
"You did your best." CT said. "But my best wasn't good enough! I just....you and Mavra are such great battlers. I just.....want to be like you." Nico sighed. "There's more to life than fighting, Nick. You don't have to change who you are, to prove you can fight." CT said, gripping Nico by the shoulders. "It's good that you want to learn, to hone your skills. But don't ever change who you are."
Smaug looked down at Nico. "Listen, kid, I've been fighting for as long as I can remember. I'm a fighter, and I've played out in the streets with no rules like the ones here, that are for protection. Even I was beaten by that brute, and I didn't even face fancy pants." he said, snorting a fume of smoke. "That Bruce guy fought that same guy who beat you, and he should have had every edge on him....but he still got beat.....humiliatingly so. These guys are different. You got nothing to be ashamed about, got it?" Nico just pouted, crossing his arms. "I guess." he mumbled.
Musashi went over to CT. "We face them, next. I want to face Thanatos." he said bluntly. "Trust me on this, CT, something's off with him and I think I know what. I have to clarify this suspicion." CT sighed, at Musashi. "Do what you want, to him. I'm facing the Gyarados." he said, with a slight growl. He didn't like any of them. Thanatos fighting Nico, Sebastian beating Nico, Randy beating Ahti. There was something familiar about Randy, though. Not that he knew him, but in that he knew what he was going through. At least in a sense. Death, feeling of betrayal, mad at the world. Randy is what CT would have become, a reminder of what would happen if he snapped. In a way, it would be like overcoming his own rage. Smaug looked at CT and Musashi. Both were weak to ice, and both Randy and Sebastian seemed to have ice powers. That was going to be a rough match. "Don't take those guys lightly, especially that third guy. Something tells me he's been held back for a reason."
Lilith joined the teams, a moment later. Naga had apparently vanished, while she was watching the fight. "I um...guess my other teammate isn't here, then." CT just shrugged. "Good riddance." Lilith just fidgeted with her tail. "Oh. Well, he did seem rather upset about the battle." she said, continuing to fidget.

Meanwhile, Randy sat in his team's break area, glancing at the other big guy. "Hey, you. Finals tomorrow, better pull your own weight." he growled at Thanatos. "I see you run for a tag again and I'll take you out, myself." he, of course, didn't count what Thanatos did to that bellbottom wearing jerkoff seeing as it wasn't a match in the tournament. "I appreciate you bringing me to a tournament and all Sebastian, but why are we even here? We can't kill them here so what's the point? What's your plan?" Sebastian smirked and chuckled. "Oh Randy, don't worry your head over such things. If I only wanted revenge on Corpsey-boy, then I would have done it outside of this tournament. There is something bigger here that I can set in motion, and I mean to do it." he said, "Trying to explain it to you may just hurt that brain of yours, and besides, it'll spoil the surprise!"
Words could be made out, but they were just as blurred as Naga's vision. Other than fists, what had hit him? That felt like a Psychic type move. His head hurt, he couldn't move. Seemed like they were keeping him there, but why? Had he seen something? Everything was a blur.
"...Boy caught me off guard. Won't happen again." Thanatos growled, glaring at Randy. Randy grunted, like he cared about this punk. He walked over. He was awake, but too disoriented to even speak, this new guy sure got him hard, didn't he? "Just make sure you give him another blast before our fight tomorrow, can't let him get in the way." he said.

 

The next day came, Musashi stretched his limbs out. He woke up early that morning, staring into space as he thought about his suspicions. Everyone admitted that Thanatos was not behaving normally, but why? He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, if he was right then he would be revealing the truth today.

Later, everyone gathered for the finals, Musashi ready and glaring at the other team. Vince grabbed a microphone. "Here we are! The finals! Our last two teams will duke it out for the championship. First off, the crowd favorites: Musashi, CT Blackstone, and Shade Potter! Their opponents, the team that's been blowing through the competition: Sebastian Blackstone, Thanatos, and Randy O'Malley!"

CT stood on the other side, next to Musashi and Shade. Somebody owed that team an ass-kicking, and he certainly wasn't going to go down, without a fight. Thanatos stared from the other side, seemingly thinking the same thing. He stepped into the arena first, eager to face his opponent. "Wait!" a young woman's voice cried out, before Musashi stepped out. "Wait, I...I missed you, this morning." Lilith said, stopping. "I just um....I just...wanted to say good luck...is all." she said. She fidgeted for a moment, before placing a quick kiss on Musashi's cheek. "So um...good luck."
"What, none for me?" CT smirked, jokingly. Lilith smiled back, in a similar teasing manner. "I don't think Lash would be very happy, with me."
"By the way," CT asked, before she left. "Any sign of your other teammate?" Lilith just shrugged. "No. I guess he just took off, after the loss."

Musashi's cheeks grew red at the sudden kiss. He cleared his throat, trying to remain focused. He headed out to face Thanatos, staring the bigger man down. "Hope you're ready to be taken down." he said. Thanatos just grinned, chuckling in a mocking manner at his opponent. "Musashi," he spoke in a deep, growling voice. "It's been years, since I've faced off against you. Tell me, how are the children? Should've taken those runts out, while I had the chance."
The same dark, reddish-purple aura surround his body as it did in the last battle, and he took a stance, ready to charge at Musashi. "I would advise you not to underestimate me." he snarled. Musashi drew his swords, taking a fighting stance as he stared down Thanatos. "As the people seem to like to say nowadays, come at me, brother."
Thanatos smirked, charging at Musashi. He had already started his first attack, so if Musashi had time to make a move, he wouldn't be able to use Protect to block it. No matter. He wouldn't need it, anyway. Thanatos snarled at Musashi, swinging his bladed gauntlets toward him. Musashi dodged Thanatos' wild blows, for some reason he seemed far less dangerous than before. Had he just grown more cautious? Musashi jumped back, it was time to test if it truly was Thanatos. "Here I come!" he shouted as he charged, his blades glowing green for his X-Scissor. Thanatos jerked his head back, in surprise. The dark aura vanished as small black orbs surrounded him, as soon as Musashi's X-Scissor hit.
The aura faded, revealing a much scrawnier opponent. The shaggy-haired man's Illusion had worn off. He stood, weakened from the attack, but still grinning. "Surprise, Bug Boy." he said, his eerie grin widening.
Musashi glared at Shii. "I had a feeling I smelled your mangy fur, Shii. Well, at least one of your kind. Congratulations are in order for fooling people for so long, but this ends now." he said, his blades glowing green again. "You know you can't beat me, let's finish this." he charged. "You hurt Shii's feelings, Bug Boy." the Zoroark cackled, charging toward Musashi rather than setting up a Protect. "Just because Shii looks like Shii now, doesn't mean Shii can't fight." he said, dropping the bladed gauntlets in favor of the four long, red blades attached to each of his gloves. Shii caught Musashi's blades in his own, trying to keep the X-Scissor from landing. As he tried to hold it back, purple goo bubbled from the blades on his claws. Shii just grinned at his opponent; "Arena has bug problem, yes. Shii thinks poison will take care of that, yes."

CT just watched from the sides. Shii. Naagloshii Raith was Thanatos, the whole time. That's why he was held back, and never took a hit. "Blast! I should have known!" CT growled. Lilith seemed more afraid than upset. She had met Shii before, years ago. She didn't like him then, and nothing has changed her mind, now. CT got the rare opportunity of hearing Shade say plenty of F-words and saying the lord's name in vane. After coming to his senses, he yelled to him, "I should've thrown him inside the Distortion World... if I had known he had Illusion, I...." Shade couldn't finish his sentence because of his rage at himself for not thinking it through, and that he was more than just a pawn of Elvis' schemes.
"Easy, tiger." CT said, not even giving Shade a glance. "We're all kicking ourselves, but there's nothing we can do about it, now." Outside, CT was trying to remain calm. Inside, CT was seriously regretting not killing Shii, when he had the chance. If this wasn't a tournament and rules to abide by, CT would stomp right out there and give Shii the what-for. It didn't matter, anyway. Now that Shii was caught, he wasn't about to try anything. CT gave him a look, that dared Shii to cross him, again.

Musashi growled. "As if I'd let you do that, again!" he backed up and split into his Double Team. "I'm going to put you down like the mutt you are, Shii, and then we'll handle your new owner!" Shii glared at Musashi, still throwing the Toxic attack, only to hit doubles. "Bug Boy should stay still, so Shii can attack!" he growled, creating a Night Daze. It was the same reddish-purple aura that surrounded him, when he faked Thanatos' Outrage. "You've gotten better, Shii." Musashi said, creating more doubles to confuse him. He then came up behind Shii, his X-Scissor ready. "But you're still not at my level." he said as he attacked. Shii listened for the direction in which Musashi's voice was coming. He pinpointed the general direction, whipped around and tossed up a field of energy, before the X-Scissor could hit him. "Shii is better than Bug Boy thinks." he growled.
Musashi knew this moment would come. Shii was so proud of his Protect. Twice, he had used it to get the better of Musashi. He flipped his swords so they were in a reverse grip. "Psych!" he shouted when he glowed white. He trained for this Feint technique, breaking through the barrier and driving the hilt into his solar plexus. Shii didn't have time to react, as Musashi's attack hit him. Shii had been doing some training, himself. He became a better fighter, smarter, sneakier, but he was still physically weak. It didn't take a super effective move to knock him out of the fight, and that Feint was just enough to do it.

Musashi turned to see Randy already standing in the arena. "Tag or be crushed Musashi." he growled. "I will tag. Not because I have no confidence, but because there is someone who wants to face you." he walked over and tagged CT. "He's all yours, CT." he said, glancing back at his former partner. Randy wasn't the most agreeable guy, but this was not the Randy he used to know.
CT stepped into the arena, not saying a word. There was something about Randy, that he just had to face. He had almost snapped in the last tournament, and came close to it in the current one. There was a fear inside him, fear that he might lose control and hurt somebody he cared about. Ahti, Musashi, Clementine...they knew Randy. He was a former teammate, just like CT was. CT felt like maybe by defeating Randy, or at least battling him, he could confront his own inner fear and rage. CT stood on the other side, facing his opponent. Gyarados weren't easy opponents, and Randy was definitely strong. Win or lose, CT wasn't going down, easily. However, Gyarados' typing left two of CT's attacks ineffective. He had to work with only two attacks, but dammit all, he was going to give it his best. "May the better man win." CT said with a smirk, as he readied a Dragon Pulse. His tone wasn't his usual sincere tone, but rather a more mocking one. Randy glared at CT, a Dragon Pulse forming in his own hand. "I plan to." he growled as he started to shoot his Dragon Pulse at CT.
"Blast!" CT snarled, attempting to dodge the Dragon Pulse. He may not have been as fast as he used to, but he still managed to dodge most of the attack. Dragon Pulse was a powerful attack, but Randy wasn't actually Dragon type. The light blue aura faded from CT's hands, as he began a new strategy.
The aura changed from light blue to dark purple. Dark Pulse was also a powerful move, but had another effect. Randy may have been faster, but he was all about attack and rage, not giving a thought to patience and strategy. "I wouldn't be so full of myself, if I were you." CT said in a low growl, as he launched a powerful Dark Pulse at Randy. "Shut up and stand still!" Randy snarled as he charged another Dragon Pulse. As he took aim he got a Dark Pulse to his face, knocking him back a few steps as he clutched his face.
CT smirked as Randy flinched from the Dark Pulse. He was strong, though. He may have gotten a hit in, but the battle was far from over. He might expect another Dark Pulse after that, so he couldn't be predictable. He might also expect a switch, to Dragon Pulse.
To hell with it.
Flames flickered across CT's hands as he readied a Flamethrower at Randy, and hoped for the best. That Dark Pulse had caught him off guard, maybe he wouldn't dodge in time. Maybe the flames would leave him with a burn, and slowed him down. Or maybe it wouldn't do a damned thing, and CT was totally screwed. "I must be a bloody idiot..." CT mumbled under his breath, as he tossed the stream of fire toward Randy. The flames engulfed Randy, showing little more than anger. He winced as he felt burns forming on parts of his body. It stung. "You want to play with burns? Fine!" he shouted as he blasted a jet of scalding hot water at CT. The heat from the Scald didn't bother CT, so much. Being a Dragon type, Water and heat weren't very effective. Not very effective and completely immune were two different things, however, and it still hurt. CT tried not to show it, but it hurt.
He slicked his now-soaked hair back and tugged at his jacket. "This is a new suit. Now I'm pissed." he growled, as he began charging a Dragon Pulse. Randy snarled, charging up his own Dragon Pulse. "I'm sorry, I'll make sure you're buried in a new one!" he shouted as he blasted the Dragon Pulse at him. CT narrowed his eyes, at Randy. Dragon Pulse. If CT took a hit from that, it could be the end of the fight for him. If he landed his own Dragon Pulse, there would be no guarantee of a knock-out. At most, maybe the two attacks would just hit each other. "I'll hold you to that." CT exhaled and flung a bright turquoise orb of energy at Randy.
"But not today."
The attacks collided, exploding. Randy was knocked back, snarling as his burns stung him. Being a true Dragon type, CT's attack held more power to it; however, it also would hurt him more. Randy glared at him. "I'm sick of you! Time to end this!" his hand started to glow with an icy energy. "It's time you took a long dark sleep!" he charged with a roar, his Ice Fang prepared. Ice. CT did not like ice, but he remained standing, both hands held behind his back, watching carefully as Randy charged at him. He gave Randy a smirk as he neared closer to him, and swung his hand around, blazing with flame, to catch Randy's own icy hand.
Fire may have been ineffective against Water types, but it would definitely weaken an Ice type attack, and that it did. The Ice Fang could still be felt even through the flames, but it was severely weakened. "I know what it's like." CT snarled. "I know what it's like to feel betrayed, forgotten, facing death and mad at the whole world. But if you don't overcome it, it will consume you. Make you weak. You'll depend on it, and soon all that will be left is a shell of what used to be, filled with nothing but hate."
The flames around CT's hands grew brighter, stronger, melting the ice that covered Randy's hand. "Your choice." CT growled, as the flames died down and turned into another Dragon Pulse, shot close-range at Randy. "Go to Hell!" Randy shouted. How dare he talk to him like that! How dare he speak so condescendingly! Randy's other hand glowed with ice, bearing down on CT. Until he got blasted full in the face. Randy flew back, dropping to the ground. He was out, cold.

 

A slow clapping sound could be heard over the silence, everyone turning to see that it was coming from Sebastian. "Ooooooh my, that was quite a pep talk, Corpsey-boy. It won't work, however, I'm afraid. Even if the revival process was perfect and brought someone back with every part of their soul, I wouldn't have brought him back that way. I'm rather glad I didn't have to adust things too much when I made poor Randy. I only added a little bit of myself." he said, a wisp of ghostly hatred forming in his hand. He stepped into the ring, taking a sip from his appletini as the wisp danced around his hand before he snuffed it out. "Amazing what a bit of unbridled rage does to someone. Oh don't get me wrong, Corpsey-boy, I didn't mind wash your friend here. He was already raging before I added my own touch. How I heard it, he wasn't treated very well by his owner. Neglected, until his owner had no choice but to give him his chance." Sebastian said with a grin, walking around the ring as he told the story. "His owner wasn't very good after all. Put his team in too much danger, let too many get hurt with his ignorance and lack of skill. Randy fought hard, being one of the few who tore the Elite Four apart, and yet he lost his life. What was it all for? So that some snot-nosed kid could claim he was the best?" he explained, scoffing at the notion and shook his head. "Randy has a real purpose, now. He can help make this world better for us all, to help make things right."
CT glared at Sebastian, as he ran his mouth. What was this guy going on about, anyway? The audience had no idea what these people truly were, and Sebastian was talking as if they did. CT just rolled his eyes, a dark aura dancing around in his hands. Would this guy ever shut up?
"Dear god, I hate monologues." he growled, throwing a Dark Pulse right toward Sebastian, as he was facing the audience. Little did CT know, he saw the incoming attack and merely sidestepped, leaving the Dark Pulse to dissipate. "So you like playing dirty, Corpsey-boy." Sebastian said, with an ominous grin. "You interrupted a heart-wrenching story about trust betrayal, of murder, and of revenge." he said, taunting him. "I guess I'll have to keep my guard up. Did you not watch your friend and son's matches, against me? Tsk tsk, you really should learn from other's mistakes." he added, snapping his fingers.The ring changed, just as it had against Bruce. The ring glowed multiple colors as if it was a disco floor. "Let us see how better you fair against my powers."
CT growled at Sebastian. "I've heard the same story, a thousand times. Save your breath." he snarled, flames dancing across his hands. Trick Room was a nasty move, seeing as CT was most likely the faster one. There was no way to counter it, and Sebastian had already demonstrated in previous battles that he never used a super effective move, first. So no fire. Not yet. The flames turned bright blue, going from dancing flames to light aura, as he charged a Dragon Pulse not to directly attack Sebastian, but to counter whatever his next move would be. Sebastian chuckled as he watched CT. He knew what he was up against, although he had never battled CT, personally. First off, he summoned a Shadow Ball to his free hand and threw it at CT gracefully, sipping on his appletini as he did so. "Oh, my. This is making me dreadfully thirsty."
The Shadow Ball hit CT first, barely causing him to flinch. "Blast! he snarled, before throwing the Dragon Pulse at his opponent. Not only had Trick Room switched their speed stats, he used the same technique CT had used on Randy. Shadow Ball lowered defenses, so that was going to be a pain to deal with. Sebastian wasn't so lucky this time, as while he barely dodged the CT's second attack, the side of his body stung . He readied another Shadow Ball and tossed it at CT's head. Trying to act like the attack didn't harm him, he regained his composure and taunted CT further. "Mmmmmm, you want a sip of this? It is a divine drink."
Another Shadow Ball slammed into CT, doing little more than tickling him. It wasn't the move itself he was worried about, but was what Sebastian was planning on doing when CT's defenses were down. "Your drink is as useful as your stories, you petty drunkard." CT growled, readying a Flamethrower. If all else failed, maybe the least he could do was leave a burn. "You sure? I'm gonna drink it all down before you even know it!" Sebastian said before fading away with a Faint Attack. He reappeared behind CT, kicking him in the shins with the move. His hand then powered up a Night Slash blade, as if he was going to skewer CT. CT's legs buckled beneath him after Sebastian's attack, causing him to fall forward. Randy's burn from earlier was also slowing him down. CT was down, but wasn't about to give up yet, especially to this jackass. The flames in his hands flickered out, and he found it difficult to stand back up. Sebastian sighed, the power dissipating from his hand. He moved around CT, shaking his head. "What's the matter, Corpsey-boy? Don't have the energy to live up to your namesake? But then again, why should I be surprised? You're as old as those two geezers sitting on the sidelines." he taunted, snapping his fingers. The Trick Room ended instantly, Sebastian facing away from CT as he sipped more of his drink. "Finishing you would be effortless, but I won't give you the satisfaction; You're not worth my energy."
CT gave Sebastian a glare, as he walked away. It was difficult to stand, and CT had to lean on a wall for support. Everything sensible in CT said to tag out, and let Shade or Musashi finish it. If he had listened to his sensible side, he would have done that. He would have walked away, tagged out, and saved himself even more serious injuries. CT didn't listen to his senses, unless "wiseass" was a sense. The moment Sebastian turned his back, CT stood, albeit just barely, and readied one final Flamethrower, putting all the energy he had left into it. "Since you think I'm old...perhaps I should put you in time-out!" he growled, sending the massive stream of fire toward Sebastian.
Sebastian turned just in time to get hit full blast by the powerful Flamethrower, falling backwards to the ring. He hit the ring hard, his drink clattering and shattering on the ground. He lay there for a few moments, and it seemed that he might have been beaten. He wasn't moving, but his eyes were opened wide. Finally his mouth moved, whispering something.
"You....dare?" he said softly, slowly sitting up and putting a hand against the ground. "You......DARE?" he asked again a bit louder, slowly getting to his feet. "How dare you destroy my drink!" he shouted, not seeming to notice the cuts on his hand from the broken glass, snowflakes starting to swirl around his body. They became more frequent as he fumed, eyes narrowed and glowing pure white. Hateful ghostly energy wafted off of his body as the snow seemed to rage around, spreading outwards. Soon the whole ring was covered and it was still spreading, becoming a furious Blizzard. "I was going to wait, Corpsey-boy, but you have forced my hand, early!" he screeched, the Blizzard raging into the crowd and throwing the first few rows of the audience backwards. "THE WORLD SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH!! WE ARE THE NEW EVOLUTION OF Pokémon AND HUMANKIND!!"
CT tried to remain standing, shivering from the cold, now. "You are such a drama queen." he growled, barely audible. Part of him was surprised, part of him was angry. If there was one thing about mingling with humankind that he learned, it was that they certainly weren't stupid. They would have figured things out, eventually. Some of them may have, already. Granted most if not all were passed off as insane, there were still very likely some people that knew. This display was very public, though. CT hated publicity. The Blizzard was making it hard for him to think, straight. He was tired, hurt, burned, and now freezing. He didn't even see the set of hands that grabbed him, and dragged him out of the arena. A small wave of heat surrounded CT, warming him up a bit. CT winced, as it also hurt the burns from that earlier Scald. "Sorry." Lilith said, the waves flickering down a bit. The ice and snow was swirling everywhere, and even inside it was still freezing. Lilith's Heat Wave kept CT from completely freezing, but it was still cold. Before anybody could say anything, a rather loud voice rang through their team's area. Naga burst in, very beat up and missing his helmet. "Thanatos is a Zoroark!!" he shouted, loudly. He traded stares with the other teammates for a moment, before it finally clicked and he noticed the raging Blizzard. "What'd I miss?" Musashi grimaced, shivering from the cold. He got close to Lilith. "Everything's going to go to hell, real fast! We have to get people out of here!"
Smaug snorted as he followed Naga inside, smacking the guy offside the head. "Doesn't feel too bad, then again that guy seems to be going crazy with that Blizzard. I'm going to guess that the tourney is going to be canceled on account of douchebags." he said, frowning as he looked around at the group. "Alright, I'll clear the way with my flame, the rest of you follow me out of the city. Lilith, keep close to those guys, and get Nico close, too. If Clem's feeling cold, she can ride on my back." he said, deciding that someone had to take charge to get them out. He glanced over at Naga. "I guess you can help too, bird brain. Either be a hand warmer like Lilith's doing or help me blaze a trail." he said disdainfully.
Sebastian continued to barrage the arena with his Blizzard, watching as Pokémon and humans panicked and ran away. He grinned widely, his anger abating a bit as horrible glee filled his heart. His plan had been triggered a bit early due to CT's audacity, but now things were falling back into place. Soon the world would have to admit that there were hybrids, that they were the new evolution.

Shade had situations like this happen before, but usually it was toward the end of football games in this stadium, whenever staff was low. It wasn't going to be easy this time, however, because everyone was in a panic, and the kids had to be out as well. On his way to their room, he met a familiar face; a classmate of Nico and Glade's and was also part of the audience that day. " I didn't know you came by, Soto." Shade said to her in the chaotic concourse. "I was keeping an eye on Lilith's students, while she was competing." Soto replied, young children no older than ten huddling close to her. "What's going on?"
"Not sure, but I could use your help."
Soto thought about that, for a moment. There did seem to be a mass panic, but she also needed to get the kids to safety. Shade proceeded to tell her that Lilith was with a group of competitors, and that the kids would be safe with them. Soto nodded, agreeing that might be the best course of action. Moving the kids through a very panicked crowd could result in disaster, so they would be safest with the others. Soto and Shade split ways, the kids tagging along with Shade as he met back with Lilith and her group.
The older kids back in the group stayed close to the Fire types, especially Nico. Nico seemed to be huddling closer to his dad than to Lilith, though. Shade had brought Lilith's students in, who also proceeded to stay close to her. She nodded in a "Thank you" gesture, but a little worry swept across her face. "Where's Tessa?" she asked, in reference to Soto. She almost never used Soto's first name, unless it was serious. "She's fine. She's helping me, with the crowd." Shade replied. Lilith sighed in relief, as Shade left to meet back up with his only backup for the time being. Naga just grunted at Smaug and the cop guy. He didn't like either, and he just wanted to get out of here. Everything hurt, and he just wanted to go home. He wasn't going to leave Lilith, though, and if that meant helping out her friends, then so be it. That Zoroark had beat him up pretty bad though, with a Psychic move at that, so he couldn't focus too much on his moves, but just enough flames flickered in his hands to provide a little warmth. It wouldn't be much for an adult, but maybe it would be just enough for a kid or two. He glanced over at Lilith, a few small children crowding her and the others. One particular young girl caught his attention. She had short, black hair cut almost into a bob, a pink feather stuck in it. She had matching pink eyes and more feathers attached to what looked like a focus sash. He recognized the girl.
"Junebug..." he finally said, in a soft tone. "She's your student?" he glanced at Lilith. Both Lilith and the young girl seemed confused for a moment, but CT interrupted before either could say anything. "Chat later. Focus on getting the bloody hell out of here, now!" he growled.

As Shade walked with Soto to the main concourse, he used his smartphone and contacted the police. "This is Shade, we have an emergency code 347. Send in backup to the stadium site A.S.A.P!" he chatted to the radio.
"Understood. Dodger will be there shortly." the person on the radio replied.
"It's a madhouse here, so please make sure he knows this is an emergency, a code red attack." Shade placed his phone back in his pocket, and as they entered ground zero, he told Soto with sincerity, "Thank you for helping me out; you didn't have to stay here, you know."

Dodger Dodgeson, police chief of Nimbasa city, chomped down on a powdered donut. The white powder got stuck all over his big bushy mustache. "Harumph, what a pain." he grumbled. He was sitting in front of the arena where a tournament of hybrids was going on. Everything should have been fine, then someone had to go and ruin his day. Dodger made his actions swift, barging his stocky body inside and escorting people out. Dammit, was the whole 'keep things controlled' part of his demands so hard to follow? He escorted more people out before letting the Jennys handle it. He spotted the man causing the blizzard, hopping down and blowing his whistle. "'Ey! You! Cut this noise out, right now. Don't make me run over there, punk." he barked. He knew what he was doing, Dodger Dodgeson was a hybrid himself. Bred as a fine battling Stoutland, a large dog Pokémon, Dodger knew how to take punks down. Randy got in his way. "Back off, pig. Or else I'll-" Randy was interrupted by Dodger slamming his broad stocky body into him, taking him down hard. Dodger looked at Sebatian. "Last warning punk." he growled.
Musashi stared at the events happening, looking at the others. "That's...a cop right? Did he just take down Randy?" he shook his head. "We should all get out of here while we have a distraction, let's go!"
Smaug had been breathing flame to clear the snow and try to keep the area warm. Every time he breathed the Flamethrower, his body got warmer, keeping the fluffy Clem nice and toasty as she rode on his back. He had to admit, the girl was very cute; no wonder everyone in this group was fond of her.
CT tried to make as much fire as he could muster, but he was still very weak from the battles. He tried to keep the ice and snow off Nico, rather than himself. He handled the cold a lot better than Nico did, although it was still rather unpleasant. Lilith stayed close to CT, Musashi and Nico, a wave of heated air still enveloping them. The younger kids that had came with her seemed just fine, huddled next to Glade and Naga. Particularly that one girl Naga had recognized. He knew her? He said nothing more about it, as CT was right. Maybe, for once in his life, it would be a good idea to stop talking and leave. The girl seemed intrigued that he had the same clawed hands that she did, however, and stayed close to him. She didn't know him, but she felt...safe, with him. The only other person to have ever called her "Junebug", was her uncle. Maybe he just knew her uncle. They did seem to look a lot alike. She didn't seem to bother Naga, and he kept her close, careful not to get the flame too close to her.

Sebastain grinned at the cop, the Blizzard still raging. "Oh, but officer, the bell hasn't rung to signify my win, yet. I can't possibly stop until then, can I?" he asked, arms crossed as the snow flurried around him. "Shii, would you be a dear and escort Randy back home? I shall meet you there, shortly." he asked before turning his attention back to the cop. Shii bounced alongside Sebastian, and proceeded to grab Randy. Shii was scrawny, and not exactly a weightlifter. It took a lot of effort to move Randy, but he eventually dragged him back to the sidelines and out of view. Randy groaned as he sat up. "Damn pig. Cracked my ribs." he snarled.
Dodger glared at Sebastian. "Match is over, punk. Tone the weather down. I'm gonna have to bring you in for questioning. Don't make me run after you." he said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. Sebastian laughed, the Blizzard starting to die down. "Oh, officer, I am not subject to your human laws, and I'm not coming in for questioning. I shall be heading to my home with my companions. If you leave us be, no more harm shall befall this city, but if you do try to stop us...." he said, leaving the threat hang in the air. "So I ask you, officer, to be reasonable, and go back to the station and enjoy some more sugary treats."
Dodger stared at the psychopath, his eyes narrowing. This punk was threatening his city! Dodger was a few things; a Pokémon-human hybrid, a lover of glazed pastries, but most of all, he was a cop. He paused for a good moment, reaching for his sidearm. Even a Pokémon hybrid could like some creations meant for humans. "Get out of my city, punk." he growled.
Before Dodger could even fire, Sebastian suddenly collapsed on the ground, and passed out. Dodger was puzzled, until he noticed that there was a tranquilizer dart on the side of his neck. Without hesitation, Dodger placed him in handcuffs and pulled out his radio. "This is Dodger, suspect is down and apprehended, I repeat..." Shade meanwhile heard the message, and relayed it to the SWAT teams and ordered them to enter the area immediately.
"I warned you to not go around saying that you were related to my family, Sebastian; I'll take care of getting my lab back while you rot away in prison." A mysterious man quietly said to himself as he hid from behind the video screen. "Now to go back home and finish my projects for Tartarus and Blackstone..."

Clem giggled as she clung to Smaug's back. They had finally gotten out of the panicked arena. "Uh oh." Musashi said. Several news vans had already surrounded the arena. People were scared and being interviewed, film crews were capturing everything on their cameras. Several people stared at Musashi and the others, many of those eyes narrowing. "What's going to happen, now?" Clem asked, her tail no longer wagging. "I don't know, Clem." Musashi replied."But I doubt things will return to normal, after this."



~end~